Prototype drawing of the new Harley-Davidson model to be co-developed with Qianjiang Motorcycle Company in China.
Amidst a slowdown in sales domestically, Harley-Davidson has announced another step in its strategy to expand its presence in Asia through a collaboration with Qianjiang Motorcycle Company to launch a smaller, more accessible Harley model in China by the end of 2020.
This collaboration with Qiangjiang, which owns the Benelli brand, will produce a “premium 338cc-displacement Harley-Davidson motorcycle for sale first in the China market with additional Asian markets to follow,” per the press release.
According to the press release, the new model will be produced in a Qianjiang facility in China and is intended to expand access to the Harley-Davidson brand and drive incremental sales, both of the new motorcycle and also traditional Harley products already offered in Asia.
Harley has previously stated its objective is to grow its international business to 50 percent of annual volume by 2027, and China is an important part of that plan. Harley-Davidson retail sales in China grew 27 percent from 2017 to 2018.
The Dainese Smart Jacket combines D-air safety and technology with a versatile vest to be worn over or under anything.
Begin Press Release:
Dainese Launches Smart Jacket
D-Air® Protection in a Light, Versatile Vest, Ideal for All Types of Motorcyclists and Uses
COSTA MESA, Calif. – June 18, 2019 – Dainese presents Smart Jacket, the new D-air® airbag vest that can be worn underneath or atop any garment. Available for men and women, the new Smart Jacket is a foldable, functional article of clothing that does not require any connection to the bike. Used by MotoGP champions, D-air® technology has been developed by Dainese through more than 20 years of research in order to achieve the maximum level of versatility, and is now also built for use on the road. With the Smart Jacket, for the first time ever Dainese introduces stationary impact protection, adding a whole new level of safety. Dainese’s new Smart Jacket is the first airbag vest featuring D-air® technology that can be worn either over or under any jacket or outfit, without requiring any connection to the bike. The D-air® protector is worn separately from clothing, can be used riding any bike and on any road, and is available for both men and women. The Smart Jacket is also foldable for easy storage in a backpack or top box.
“Smart Jacket is the result of more than twenty-five years of research on the D-air® system, and combines in a single, intelligent, versatile, now available-for-everyone garment the ultimate in airbag technology for motorbikes, the same used by MotoGP professional riders” states Cristiano Silei, CEO of Dainese Group.The “brain” of Smart Jacket is the triggering algorithm: At a rate of 1,000 times per second, the electronic central unit analyzes data transmitted by 7 sensors and detects dangerous situations, activating the system only when necessary. Through two decades of development and extensive data collection, Dainese has refined its sophisticated D-air® algorithm to predict accidents, including stationary vehicle and stationary rider collisions.
The Shield is the heart of Smart Jacket protection, an airbag featuring Dainese’s patented technology that integrates proprietary internal microfilaments that guarantee inflation is even and controlled throughout the entire surface. When activated, The Shield envelops the body and delivers maximum protection to the rider. The Shield covers the chest and back, ensuring the same degree of protection as seven Level 1 back protectors, despite not having hardshell protective gear inside. The result is an extremely light and practical garment that riders can easily fold and place in a lateral bag, a top box or in a backpack when not in use.
Smart Jacket is also designed with incredible ventilation for further versatility and comfort. The external fabric of the jacket is ventilated but the most innovative ventilation is found inside, as the Shield folds over on itself. In normal riding conditions, this enables air to flow through the front. In case of activation, the Shield expands and covers the entire chest area, providing maximum protection. The Smart Jacket also features water-repellent fabric and the integrated D-air® technology is waterproof to protect riders regardless of weather conditions.
Smart Jacket inherits the best practical features from the third-generation D-air® Road range, including the ability to have the airbag replaced by an authorized dealer. The long battery life – with 25 hours of operation when fully charged – makes the Smart Jacket even more usable, and the garment recharges quickly.
The riders then got a chance to have a final 30-minute session from 17:00-17:30 local time (GMT+2) at the Circuit Ricardo Tormo. This would be their chance to test before heading out on track at the Sachsenring for the first round of the season and it was Tuuli who went fastest with the quickest time of the test, a 1:40.127 0.486 quicker than second place Mattia Casadei (Ongetta SIC58 Squadra Corse). Garzo was third on the timesheets at the end of Day 3, race simulation winner Granado was 0.533 off Tuuli’s benchmark in fourth with 2008 125 World Champion Mike Di Meglio (EG 0,0 Marc VDS) completing the top five.
When anyone in the motorcycle industry qualifies a motorcycle as a beginner bike, they’re identifying two characteristics: ease of use and ease of ownership. Basically, the path to a lifetime of motorcycling should be as stress-free and safe as possible.
So, in terms of ease of use, nothing beats small-displacement bikes with supreme light weight and low power figures. It’s all intended to help a rider master the mechanics of riding without getting in too much trouble.
Small-displacement bikes are also typically tops on the ease of ownership list; they’re cheap to maintain, cheap to insure, and cheap to repair. There are plenty of folks who buy a 30-year-old bike off Craigslist because it’s cheap, but wind up with a machine with questionable reliability and drum brakes with worn out shoes—not the beginnings of a love affair with two wheels.
However, if you’re a mature beginning rider who’s willing to spend more cash, you don’t have to resign yourself to the archetypal small-displacement beginner bike for too long. These days, not all large-displacement machines are hands-off for beginners. The following bikes get top marks in the ease of use category and will help riders master the art of riding well, even though they’re a lot more bike than what you rode at your [MSF Basic RiderCourse]https://www.msf-usa.org/brc.aspx).
Still, it’s wise to get some mileage under your belt before jumping on any of these bikes. They’d be great for, say, your second season of riding. Your mileage may vary.
Harley-Davidson 1200 Sportster
The Harley-Davidson Forty-Eight Special.Spenser Robert
The bike that makes one of the best cases for the argument may be the Sportster 1200 (in its various guises). The Sporty 1200 has a big motor, but it’s no hot rod, so you’re far less likely to bend it around a tree than you would on a supersport of half the displacement. One of the characteristic Harley traits that even non-Harley folks can appreciate is abundant torque from off idle. For newbie riders, it makes pulling away from a standstill super easy. Dump the clutch and go.
Plus, Sportsters have super low centers of gravity, so they’re really easy to maneuver at low speeds. They feel solid because they are solid.
Triumph Street Twin
Triumph Street Twin. If the the high-piped Scrambler aesthetic is more your thing, check out Triumph’s Street Scrambler.Kingdom Creative
Look, just because the Kawasaki Z1 was a beast when it came out in the early ’70s doesn’t mean a bike of similar displacement in 2019 is the same thing. The Triumph Street Twin is a 900cc pussycat.
Unlike ’70s Kawasaki, Triumph isn’t looking to light the performance world on fire with the Street Twin. Triumph’s “Street” line is all about giving riders stylish, eager-to-please machines that are easy to ride. You can punch a lot of horsepower out of 900cc, sure, but you can also use it to keep the bike in a relatively low state of tune and give it linear, usable power as Triumph has done with the Street Twin.
Indian Scout Sixty
The Scout Sixty has a five-speed gearbox and a bit less horsepower, but has the same qualities that make the standard Scout so great.Indian Motorcycle
The Scout Sixty is Indian’s smaller-sized Scout. And it’s 60ci (999cc). In other words, a big bike. While it has the same lean, mean physical dimensions of its big sibling, it’s $2,500 cheaper. But it’s no chintzy down-market substitute. Its price of entry merely makes it more accessible for anyone testing the motorcycling waters.
Ducati Monster 797
The Monster is one of the classic Ducatis. Start here.Ducati
It wasn’t that long ago that Ducatis were the province of well-to-do, performance-above-all-else die-hards who’d happily sacrifice reliability and reasonable maintenance intervals for two-wheeled Italian bliss. Not exactly the sweet spot for beginners. Those days are firmly behind us. Relatively new to motorcycling? Sure, have yourself a Ducati (and no, that doesn’t water down the brand. Not exactly, anyway).
The Monster 797 is Ducati’s entry-level motorcycle. At $9,300 it’s the cheapest Duc available (though Scramblers can be had for less) but its liquid-cooled 803cc engine and quality running gear means it’s anything but cut-rate.
Yamaha MT-07
The MT-07 begs the question, “Do you really need any other motorcycle?”Yamaha
The MT-07 is a bike for everyone. If you aren’t smiling on an MT-07, maybe motorcycling isn’t your new hobby after all. Stamp collecting perhaps?
The MT-07 is composed, exciting, and at $7,600, one of the best deals in motorcycling. You can ride a motorcycle that costs three times as much, but you probably won’t have any more fun.
If the tall-in-the-saddle appeal of ADVs is right up your alley, consider the Honda NC700X. Aside from style and ergos, there’s nothing really off-road-y about the NC700X, but that’s okay. The point is more about practicality, which the NC has in spades. Where you’d expect the gas tank to be, it even has a large cubby that’ll swallow a full-face helmet. Nice. Keeping it really beginner friendly, the NC is available with Honda’s DCT automatic transmission. And before you ask, Honda’s heated grip kit only costs $230.
Suzuki SV650
Since 1999, the SV650 has been one of the classic Suzuki names.Drew Ruiz
Since its introduction 20 years ago, the SV650 has been a great bike for all kinds of reasons. The SV is Suzuki’s ode to the standard motorcycle: no frills, no pretension, just a proper 645cc V-twin engine in a sweet-handling chassis. It’s not aggressively styled, it doesn’t have a slick marketing campaign, it doesn’t pretend to be something it’s not. Not everyone gets into motorcycling to make a statement. For those who want a bike that’ll run with the best of ’em without saying “look at me,” the SV is just the ticket.
“At the end I got some problems again, I struggled to control the bike but at least, I think, I did one of the strongest races from the beginning of the season. I have been lucky to see many crashes and catch all the positions I can. It was complicated conditions, it was hot, there was fighting and mistakes so yes by best feeling in a long time and I’m happy that I got this top ten, even if there are not many riders finishing.”
Race Tech’s G3-S IFP shocks (center) and fork kit with new springs and Gold Valve Emulators (left and right) that effectively emulate the cartridge fork on newer, more sophisticated bikes.
Twelve years after buying my 2006 Triumph Bonneville T100, with 38,000 miles on the odometer, the very conventional suspension was showing its age, the 41mm fork feeling somewhat less springy, the shocks a bit unbouncy.
I whined to EIC Tuttle, and he called up Race Tech, which happily offered to bring my bike up to date. Race Tech sent a pair of its G3-S IFP shock absorbers, a fork kit with new springs and its Gold Valve Emulators, which would effectively emulate the cartridge fork on many more sophisticated bikes.
The author’s 2006 Triumph Bonneville T100 with the new Race Tech suspension upgrades.
To do the necessary wrenching I went to my local technician, Herb Varin at C&H Motorsports here in Central California. He pulled the fork apart and enlarged the holes in the damping rods, and drilled four new ones. The original holes would no longer be responsible for controlling the flow of oil, as the emulator deals with the compression damping, while the rebound damping is done by the oil viscosity. The emulators are held in place by the new springs, which are rated at 0.8 kg, suitable for my 230 pounds. The neat thing about these emulators is that they can be tuned by controlling the flow of oil; Race Tech advised me to use 15 weight. However, adjusting means pulling off the fork tops and fishing the emulators out, so it is not the simplest of tasks. And a bit messy.
Along with the fork kit, Race Tech sent along a pair of G3-S IFP shock absorbers, which come with preload and rebound damping adjustability. These have Internal Floating Pistons in their reservoirs, and preload was preset for my weight; a pinwrench is needed to alter the preload. The rebound damping has a hand-turned adjuster knob, one way for stiffer/slower, the other for softer/faster. Sag was set at the factory at about 30mm, and the spring rate is 2.2 kg.
The Race Tech springs and Gold Valve kit will run you about $300.
The Bonnie is not going out on any racetrack, but the improved comfort and handling on my county roads has made a major difference. When leaning into a curve the occasional ripple seems to even out, and less harshness is evident on a rough road. Cruising around town the fork provides an excellent feeling of control, even when bouncing over manhole covers. I went out with several friends who have stock Bonnevilles, one who rides slightly more aggressively than I do, the other, less, and I like to say they were both a bit envious.
The springs ran $130, Gold Valve kit, $170, shocks, $900. If you send the fork off to Race Tech, the cost of installing the kit will be about $175. Of course, most riders, including myself, have the ability to change the shocks.
The only problem is that while I am happy with the settings that Race Tech advised me to use, I’m wondering what might happen with a little bit of fiddling. Who knows?
For more information, see your dealer or visit racetech.com.
We riders enjoy not only the twisty roads and breathtaking vistas in settings such as California’s Sierra Nevada mountain range, but also the crystal-clear air and full range of scents nature pours out. The aromas from this particular combination of flowers, shrubs, grasses and conifers magically swept me back in time to relive some long-forgotten memories. Photos by the author and Katie Lee.
It was the scent in the air that did it, plucking me out of the Suzuki’s seat and transporting me back to the distant past. Not physically, of course. But my brain kept reporting I’d been swept away to relive a fond childhood moment buried deep in my subconscious. Riding along the Sierra Nevada foothills through California’s Gold Rush country, the particular combination of local trees, bushes, flowers and grasses surrounding us made my brain fold back on itself and suddenly I was 11 years old once again, trudging along a dusty wooded path at Boy Scout camp–a surreal moment to be sure. But also a pleasant reminder about the many small, unexpected joys we discover with motorcycle travel.
The author’s wife Katie poses with the 2018 Suzuki V-Strom 1000 XT they took on the ride.
My wife Katie and I are native Californians but strangely enough we’ve never visited the Gold Country together, nor have we toured Yosemite National Park as a couple. So we started by spending a few nights along State Route 49 in the vicinity of Jamestown, Sonora, Columbia and Twain Harte, an area chockfull of historic sites and a wealth of varied activities–not to mention world-class riding roads. The open road always beckons to motorcyclists, so we riders enjoy striking our own balance between seat time and tourist/vacation activities. For this trip, Katie and I agreed on keeping a distinctly leisurely schedule since there’s so much to do and see in the area, but also because we both wanted to try and find some old haunts from our childhood years.
A map of the route taken, by Bill Tipton/compartmaps.com.
A hot highway drone north from our Southern California abode brought us to Merced, which served as our jumping-off spot for the good stuff as we traced two-lane roads eastward. We took flat, straight State Route 140 to connect with Route 49 at Mount Bullion on our way to Jamestown. Here, 49 is simply spectacular: fresh pavement, rising and falling twists and turns, and virtually no traffic. In short, riding bliss.
Jamestown gave us a warm welcome, in part due to the hot weather, but this little town offers an engaging, quiet, old-time feel to the place with plenty of stops for refreshments and window-shopping. But here’s the big find: Railtown 1897 State Historic Park with its tribute to steam-powered locomotives. Railtown gives a whole new meaning to the notion of big-displacement iron as the 26-acre park includes historic locomotives, a working roundhouse, belt-driven machine shops and a horde of train-related parts, signs and memorabilia scattered throughout. Steam train rides are available on weekends April through September, and if you’re a film buff you might recognize Sierra No. 3, a steam engine circa 1891 that appeared in many movies, such as “High Noon” and “Back to the Future Part III.”
Railtown 1897 in Jamestown is a must-see stop for everyone visiting the area.Gear heads, history buffs, cinema fans and kids young or old will enjoy riding behind the still-operational steam locomotive from 1891.
Nowadays, nearby Columbia State Historic Park is a working town filled with historic re-creations including a blacksmith shop, an historic saloon, stagecoach rides, a gold-panning stop where you can try your luck and the Fallon Theatre, which still stages performances. We stayed in the Fallon Hotel, one of the two historic hotels still operating in Columbia, but my favorite stop had to be the ice cream shop located right between the hotel and theater. Our biggest disappointment is that we couldn’t stay longer to just soak in the atmosphere. Also close by, the town of Sonora is bigger and busier than Jamestown and Columbia, and offers much more to see and do (and buy!). Twain Harte, in turn, feels small, sleepy and relaxed, so pick the one that best suits your mood.
In Columbia, we walked out of our lodgings at the Fallon Hotel and just a few steps took us to the stagecoach stop—talk about stepping back in time!
All of these stops proved delightful, but we also scheduled time to just roam around local roads on the V-Strom 1000 too. We both spent our childhood years growing up in the San Francisco Bay Area, and this portion of the Sierra could be easily reached for day trips throughout the year. And so I had to ride up State Route 108 to revisit the place where I first strapped on snow skis, Dodge Ridge. At nearby Pinecrest Lake, Katie and her family spent summer days trout fishing. And up the mountain we stumbled upon the Strawberry Inn, the lodge where Katie’s parents made their first stop on their honeymoon in 1947, on their way to Idaho for more fishing. For no reason at all we decided to go poke around on Old Strawberry Road, which meanders around on the north side of Route 108, crisscrossing the South Fork of the Stanislaus River. Understand that while 108 is a great road for motorcycling, the entire area is laced with miles and miles of back roads that don’t even show up on large-scale maps. It’s fun and easy to set up looping day rides along deserted byways, and again we only wished we had more time to just go see what’s on the other side of the mountain.
For this trip, we kept a more leisurely schedule and were rewarded handsomely. Taking time to wander down tiny spurs such as Old Strawberry Road led us to isolated little gems such as this spot beside the rushing Stanislaus River. We shoulda brought a picnic lunch along…
Eventually, it came time to literally head over the mountain as we rode Route 108 up and over to Bridgeport in the Eastern Sierra along U.S. Route 395. Although you’re smack dab in the middle of Big Country–Sonora Pass sits 9,624 feet high–it’s only 97 miles between Sonora and Bridgeport with an approximate driving time of 2 hours–no sweat at all on a bike. A portion of this gorgeous expanse of high-mountain goodness suffered greatly at the hands of the huge Donnell Fire in the summer of 2018 and although the scars will last for a long while it’s still spectacular country. A short hop south on U.S. 395 led us to State Route 270 and another California State Historic Park, the gold-mining ghost town of Bodie. The final three miles to Bodie turns from paved road to dirt, which the V-Strom handled easily, even with our two-up load. Once a thriving town of 10,000 people, Bodie is now preserved in a state of “arrested decay,” and no food or gasoline is available so come prepared.
An entertaining three miles of graded dirt road brought us to the gold-mining ghost town of Bodie.The entire site is preserved in a state of “arrested decay” and many, but not all, buildings are open to visitors.At its peak, 65 saloons lined the mile-long Main Street in Bodie to serve nearly 10,000 residents. Be sure to set aside enough time to cover the area and view the many artifacts and buildings.
Our overnight stop at the Double Eagle Resort in June Lake had us wishing for a longer stay, but early in the morning we rode to the shores of Mono Lake to meet with Nora Livingston, a naturalist and guide with the Mono Lake Committee (monolake.org). Nora shared some of the history and ecology of the area that includes unique tufa tower limestone formations, and an ancient saline lake that covers more than 70 square miles, holding trillions of brine shrimp and alkali flies that nourish millions of migratory birds every year.
The Mono Lake Committee offers field seminars during summer and autumn; we enjoyed a private mini-tour of this fantastic setting.
From U.S. 395, Route 120 traverses 9,941-foot Tioga Pass as you enter Yosemite National Park, which is indeed one of the greatest natural wonders in the world. Low speed limits and tons of vehicular traffic slow your speeds–so just go slow! You’ll want to take in the awe-inspiring views anyhow, and plan on making lots of stops to enjoy the vistas fully. In fact, it’s best to bring a lunch along so you can just hang out at one of the many scenic pullouts along the way and take in the views.
Yosemite’s Hetch Hetchy Valley was the favorite spot for naturalist John Muir, but in 1913 San Francisco was allowed to clear-cut, dam and flood the valley to create a source of drinking water. Many gorgeous scenic stops remain throughout Yosemite; this one offered 360-degree views, each magnificent in its own right.
Canny readers will note an ongoing theme lurking in the background of this story: our continuing wish to spend more time enjoying the area. If we could do it all over again each overnight stay would last two nights to allow more time for exploring and whimsical stops. Especially when considering the many incredible secondary roads in the area, we barely scratched the surface. Nonstop twisty, turning mountain back roads, gorgeous mountain scenery and virtually zero traffic outside the main roads in Yosemite. What’s not to like about that?
In fact, maybe next time I can go looking for that old Boy Scout camp I remember so fondly….
Sierra Stopovers
Thanks to some help from the good folks at the Tuolumne County Visitors Bureau (VisitTuolumne.com) and the Mono County Tourism bureau (MonoCounty.org), we tapped into some excellent options for overnight stays, all with plenty of history, atmosphere and memorable surroundings.
Fallon House in Columbia State Historic Park: Situated right in this California State Historic Park, a night here feels like you’re immersed within a Wild West movie. parks.ca.gov
The Inn on Knowles Hill in Sonora: Sited on a picturesque hilltop overlooking Sonora, this bed and breakfast features lush appointments creating a turn-of-the-century experience, plus a sumptuous breakfast. knowleshill.com
McCaffrey House Bed and Breakfast Inn in Twain Harte: Spacious and well-appointed rooms in a secluded wooded setting, located just off Route 108. mccaffreyhouse.com
Double Eagle Resort and Spa in June Lake: Spacious cabins, spa services and a fly fishing pond for guests up in the high Sierra combines mountain living with full-on resort facilities. doubleeagle.com
Groveland Hotel in Groveland: Modern renovations make this historic hotel a delight, one that’s within easy reach of Yosemite National Park. groveland.com
The top three were split by just under two seconds over the seven laps as we enjoyed a first taste of what a MotoE™ race will look like. Young guns Granado, Garzo and Tuuli were able to beat the vast experience of 2011 125cc World Champion Nicolas Terol (Openbank Angel Nieto Team), the Spaniard crossing the line fourth less than a second from the ‘podium’, with Matteo Ferrari (Trentino Gresini MotoE) rounding out the top five.
Despite those results, he was a surprise selection for the new Petronas Yamaha SRT team but his brilliant ride in the 24 lap race on Sunday showed just what a brave brilliant decision it had been. Following his first crash of the season in practice and an arm pump operation after Mugello, the 20-year-old Frenchman displayed maturity and skill well beyond a seven-race MotoGP™ career. While far more experienced others, who really should have known better, fell foul of the slippery condition Quartararo protected his rear tyre and took his chances when they came along.
Any rider who was sold “worthless add-on insurance”, such as an extended warranty, when they bought their bike through a dealer may be eligible for a refund.
The corporate watchdog has announced another $1.7m in refunds of between $143,700 and $7.2 million to more than 30,000 customers. That brings the total to $130m over this issue.
Companies involved include Allianz, QBE, Swann Insurance and Suncorp.
Refund programs
The add-ons include protection insurance, consumer credit insurance, and mechanical breakdown insurance, which is also known as extended warranty.
ASIC found that some customers were sold sold mechanical breakdown insurance when cover would start after the manufacturer’s warranty expired, or where cover would expire shortly after the policy was written.
Riders who believe they have been sold these add-ons have been advised to contact their insurers to ask for their refund.
Last year’s royal commission heard evidence of questionable behaviour by several insurance companies.
ASIC Commissioner Sean Hughes says the failures highlighted by these insurers demonstrate why new design and distribution obligations – passed by the Parliament in March 2019 – are so important.
“ASIC will continue to monitor this sector to make sure the unfair practices of the past do not return; however, the industry has a key role to play in this too.”
The corporate watchdog is working to improve the design and sale of add-on insurance products to help prevent unfair sales.
champions, D-air® technology has been developed by Dainese through more than 20 years of research in order to achieve the maximum level of versatility, and is now also built for use on the road. With the Smart Jacket, for the first time ever Dainese introduces stationary impact protection, adding a whole new level of safety. Dainese’s new Smart Jacket is the first airbag vest featuring D-air® technology that can be worn either over or under any jacket or outfit, without requiring any connection to the bike. The D-air® protector is worn separately from clothing, can be used riding any bike and on any road, and is available for both men and women. The Smart Jacket is also foldable for easy storage in a backpack or top box.
