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2020 KTM 1290 Superduke R Review

February 10, 2020 mcnews Leave a comment

KTM 1290 SDR test by Wayne Vickers

I get the feeling that the KTM 1290 Super Duke R launch was kind of a big deal to team orange. They’d spent a week in prep’ at Portimao making sure the track bikes were run in and set-up nicely – and that the road loop had a solid mix of conditions.

2020 KTM 1290 SuperDuke R

Jeremy McWilliams was on hand, as was Chris Fillmore, helping us get the most from our track time. Alex Hofmann turned up later too. KTM head of Product Adriaan Sinke and the bike’s Project Leader Hermann Sporn were on the ground – and on the bikes as well. Our time in Portugal would be a slick, seamless event – with the emphasis on fun.

The KTM fellas know how to have a good time….

Speaking of Portugal, I can see why it was chosen as the destination. Their roads and drivers are pretty ace, courteous to a fault almost, and speed limits are widely regarded as a guide. The weather is absurdly mild – I mean it’s 20 degrees in winter for god’s sake – the Portimao track is just brilliant and Portuguese tarts are divine. ‘Pastel De Nata’s’ you heathens. Little custardy bundles of joy that the Aussie contingent on the launch took what can only be described as an unhealthy obsession towards.

2020 KTM 1290 SuperDuke R at Portimao

Given that this is one of their 1290 flagship road bikes, it’s clear that KTM have put some serious effort into what they’re dubbing BEAST 3.0.

15 years after the first 990 Superduke (and a full 26 years after the first Duke 620 was introduced – can you believe it?), KTM themselves describe the third major iteration of the 1290 as a purpose designed sports-bike that’s great on the track, but not a naked race-bike. It’s an interesting distinction that points to the effort that’s gone into ensuring it maintains focus on real world performance, but not at the expense of ridability.

2020 KTM 1290 SuperDuke R

I raved long and hard hard about the last model in my long term review here. Stupidly fun, comfortable and effortless performance. It didn’t mind a wheelie either. So I was having trouble imagining how much could they actually improve it in one model. Turns out… quite a lot.

2020 KTM 1290 SuperDuke R

It’s basically all new. Hermann tells me that the rear axle assembly is carried over, but pretty much everything else is changed. As in.. everything. With an aim to push the performance bar even higher – and yet retain the accessibility and comfort. ‘Purity’ and ‘Simplicity’ were recurring themes. They’ve spent plenty of time working on reducing weight, and doing some serious tweaks to geometry.

2020 KTM 1290 SuperDuke R

It runs a lighter frame that’s actually three-times stiffer than the previous one. And no, it isn’t an RC8 frame – it’s new. It holds the engine 36 mm higher to improve corner exit and front end feel. The rear sub-frame has ditched the old trellis design in favour of a new extruded aluminium unit that also uses a trick bit of carbon-composite as a stressed member. The sub-frame alone has shed a kilo-and-a-half and it can support 1000 kg of load, apparently. Could come in handy if your pillion has been throwing down those tarts I mentioned earlier..

2020 KTM 1290 SuperDuke R

It has a brand new swingarm with the bracing moved from above to below, and it now runs a shock linkage instead of the direct mount set-up from last year. This enables them to run a shock that has significantly more travel, contains more fluid and offers more feel. Which is why everyone else also runs shock linkages…

2020 KTM 1290 SuperDuke R

Combined with the revised swingarm pivot point, it reduces rear squat under hard acceleration which was one of the major goals. It’s now 15 per cent stiffer and it’s lighter (picking up a theme here?). Foot-peg positions are adjustable. As are the brake and gear levers. You can even adjust the pressure and throw length of the gear lever – and switch to race pattern shift by moving one bolt. And it’s designed in a way that the lever position stays exactly as it was. Clever design work focussed around the rider.

2020 KTM 1290 SuperDuke R in the hills of the Algarve

Despite the geometry tweaks, the seat and riding position is surprisingly even more comfortable than I remember the old one being, and the tank has a new shape. Giving up two-litres of fuel capacity (down to 16 L) in order to house a 2.6-litre larger air-box that now incorporates a genuine ram air system entering between the split headlights for improved performance at high speeds. That ties in with an additional set of top feeder injectors ahead of the intake for better fuel atomisation at higher velocities.

Air-box has grown much larger at the expense of fuel tank capacity

New 48 mm WP forks up front complete the suspension components and are now fully adjustable. Bar position is slightly lower and further forward than previously and can be adjusted through a range of 22 mm. Their focus on the rider seems to be evident by the fact that they’ve included recommended suspension setup details under the seat. Nice touch. We were running those settings for both the track and road sessions. They work. They work just fine…

2020 KTM 1290 SuperDuke R

Five spoke alloy wheels are new at each end. Designed with some input from AI they’re.. you guessed it, lighter and stiffer, and hold the new top spec’ Brembo Stylema stoppers at both ends. 320 mm up front and 240 out back. These are pretty much the top spec’ that mortals can get their hands on and are radial mounted monoblock numbers. They’re teamed up with an updated 6D lean angle sensor cornering ABS system that includes a ‘supermoto’ setting which ignores all other inputs other than the front rotational sensor. The 6D part refers to the sensors detecting drift now, in addition to fore-aft and left-right movement. Those same sensors are used for TC as well. When used in combination with a deactivated Wheelie control, it means backing it in under brakes, stoppies and wheelies are go. I’ll just leave it in that setting thanks very much.

Wayne doesn’t mind a wheelie…

More work has gone into the engine in terms of shaving weight from almost everything, including a new one-kilogram lighter exhaust that is Euro 4 compliant, and even Euro 5 ready for when that kicks in. The crank-cases have had 800 grams taken off them and overall the bike has dropped six-kilograms.

2020 KTM 1290 SuperDuke R

Remember that this thing now makes 180 odd horsepower (an increase of 3 over the previous model) and 140Nm of torque. It’s a monster. 100 Nm from 3,000rpm.. 120 from 4,500… Shove feels almost limitless. And effortless at the same time. Worth pointing out that all of that comes with 15,000k service intervals – so it’s not a highly stressed bit of race kit.

The Pankl gearbox too has received serious tweaks, resulting in a smoother, shorter throw. The optional quick-shifter proved a must have in my book. Fast, direct and light, it worked just as well on the track under full load in both directions as it did on the road when cruising around. And the slipper clutch has also had some tweaks that have resulted in improved feel. New clutch plates and rotated plates specifically aimed at improving low speed engagement. I like.

2020 KTM 1290 SuperDuke R

The final piece of the puzzle is in the electronics and interface. The new TFT dash and switchgear, with dedicated TC adjustment buttons (yay!) that are also used for cruise control and an array of new switchgear. I’m happy to say that the operation of traction control and modes is a big step forward on what was a tedious process previously. That being said, I’d probably leave it in the one setting most of the time and just adjust the TC up and down through the 9 stages. Easy peasy.

2020 KTM 1290 SuperDuke R

The other thing I really liked is two new dedicated ‘preset’ buttons located to be used with your thumb that allow you to access your own custom presets and quickly toggle between them without diving into the main controls. So you’d probably end up running one with a wet set-up (higher TC setting, full ABS, lower engine braking, wheelie control on?), and a standard dry set-up. I felt that the track settings worked just fine on the road personally. And the rain, street and sport modes all appeared to have some level of anti-wheelie control by default that I’d prefer wasn’t there. Because, wheelies.

Starting to get the idea that it’s essentially a new bike? It is! Over 90 per cent new!

2020 KTM 1290 SuperDuke R

Our morning ride session started with a foggy but basically dry Portimao circuit. Not the best way to learn a new track that has a seemingly endless succession of blind corners, crests and serious elevation changes. But Chris Fillmore obliged by towing us around for the session showing us the lines. He’d earlier recommended some settings for us: Track mode, SuperMoto braking, Wheelie control off, TC around 6 and throttle set to street. He knows what he’s doing as they were pretty much bang on. I preferred the throttle in street mode as well and would leave it there all day. Turns out it’s preferred by Pikes Peak winners and mortals alike.

The fog lifted for our second session and by the third I was starting to feel comfortable and could really start to appreciate the new found stability and control. You can use the torque to pull higher gears than you might think.

2020 KTM 1290 SuperDuke R

Let me walk you through a lap.

Across the start-finish line you’re nudging towards 270 km/h, which feels about as fast as you’d want to go on a naked bike to be honest – you really are hanging on pretty hard.

The track then drops away and then you put those new Brembos to work and bang it down two as you tip into the fast right hander. The brakes were faultless all day by the way. Zero fade – great lever feel and super strong. Clip the almost blind apex while back on the gas and let it run out wide so you then sweep back into turn two as one corner.

Wayne feels his way around Portimao on the 2020 KTM 1290 SDR

Down another one for the tight right hander – yes I was taking it in third – in fact I wasn’t dropping below third for the whole track. No need – the torque just pulls you effortlessly out and fires you at the next corner. Tip it onto the right knee and feed the power on, making sure to stay right to get a better entry for the next left – a blind uphill corner that both tightens a little and flattens at apex. The bike felt great on the change of direction here. A little like coming into turn 11 at Phillip Island (but steeper), which is one of my favourite corners. Loads of feedback from both ends and barely a wriggle from the bars during weight transfer. The side to side flick done with minimal effort. Considering there’s a dirty big 1301 cc engine underneath you – that’s an impressive feat.

Wayne feels his way around Portimao on the 2020 KTM 1290 SDR

That’s followed by a short straight, long enough to wind it right out to the redline in fourth before dropping it back to third as the track drops down into the left-hander. A little off-camber on entry, but flattening out on exit as you let it run right out to the kerb before tipping back into the blind left hander at full noise in fourth.

Between turns 3 and 4 is good for wheelies!

This next four or five corners of the track was probably my favourite section. Only as you crest the hill do you get to see the upcoming double right hander. Down to third, peel it in and give it another burst of throttle before getting hard on the picks and running it right out to the left kerb before tipping it into the tight right hander. Keep it no more than mid-track on exit, the track now rises again and crests before you. Front comes up in third, and again in fourth and your wheelying over a blind crest that drops away massively into the first of two bowls. If you were parked trackside at that spot you would have possibly heard me squealing and hollering inside my helmet as I went by each lap – even over the roar of the big twin. Mad. Brilliant. The next left is almost flat-out and then the track rises up into a blind double right hander that you enter in third at mid-track, and stay wide to take the two as one corner.

Did I say wheelies!

Back down into the second bowl with a little wheelie and if you get the line right you’ll hit the bottom in fourth, peeling into a full throttle left-hand sweeper that climbs its way back up to the top of the hill. So many times I’d run in there and realise I had more grip available as I could turn the bike in sharper than first thought. Step up Wayno. Out wide for the entry into the third gear left-hander and then get set-up for the first of two right-handers that build speed onto the front straight.

2020 KTM 1290 SuperDuke R

The first is a blind double apex, a little like a mirror image of turn-two at Phillip Island. Out to mid-track, mid corner before spotting the exit and winding on the throttle. Up to fourth and you’re barreling into the last blind right-hander at decent speed as you crest the hill mid-corner and the track drops away quite substantially. A little heart in mouth stuff here as you plunge down the hill, cranked over while piling on more throttle as you drift it out to the exit. Griiiiiiiiiip. Up into fifth as you crest the rise at the start of the straight and the front comes up again under full noise at well over 200 km/h and you fire down the main straight.

2020 KTM 1290 SuperDuke R

Any vision you have seen from Portimao, onboard or not, doesn’t do the elevation changes any justice. It’s a blast. And the blind corners only add to the challenge. Dare I say more fun than any other track I’ve ridden. And I don’t for a second think that the bike didn’t have a fair bit to do with that. The beauty of the Portimao track was that it showed just how easily the bike can be ridden hard. It’s flattering and confidence inspiring at the same time.

2020 KTM 1290 SuperDuke R

While I’m certainly no McWilliams, I wasn’t exactly hanging around, yet not once did I feel like I was either wanting more – or getting untidy as my lap times progressed throughout the day. And my concerns about the bikes all new geometry spoiling the fun when it comes to wheelies were unfounded as you can see by the pics… It’s still a doddle.

2020 KTM 1290 SuperDuke R with the trick bits..

In the fourth session I got to sample one of the ‘track bikes’ with a bunch of power parts thrown at it. Oh my. The full Akrapovic Evo system had me at hello and bellowed a much nicer bark that didn’t prove obnoxious on the go. It’s lighter again over the standard set-up (of course!), and with the mandatory re-tune, it liberates even more power and torque.

2020 KTM 1290 SuperDuke R with the trick optional exhaust

The track bikes also came with the new triple clamp, adjustable rearsets and Apex Pro adjustable steering damper. And it was fitted with slicks as opposed to the already excellent Bridgestone S22 Battlax tyres on the other bikes. The fact that the track bike didn’t feel radically different to the standard bike shows just how good the standard bikes are. That said, the track bike set-up was obviously better again. Just… more. More grip. More feel. Slightly pointier geometry for even better agility, but still super comfortable. Sometimes more, really is more.

2020 KTM 1290 SuperDuke R with optional exhaust

After lunch, where our brains had taken some time to process the preceding few hours of awesomeness, we toddled off with Hermann for a road loop. I love the fact that the guy who is responsible for the direction of the bike rides like he does on the road. Trev tells me that all the KTM crew go like cut cats and he’s no exception. He likes to loft the front too. Good man.

KTM crew know how to have fun

The road loop was a nice mix of fast flowing bends and tighter blind corners as we wound our way out to a little seaside cafe for a coffee break and a chat. It’s obvious that the 1290 SDR is an everyday proposition. It would rip as a commuter too in my opinion.

2020 KTM 1290 SuperDuke R

After an hour-and-a-half of hard track riding (not including breaks), and I’m guessing another two-hours of road riding I certainly wasn’t ready to call it a day. You could load it up with luggage and set off into the sunset on it without an issue.

2020 KTM 1290 SuperDuke R

On the road it proved just as good a thing as I expected based on the track time. Super comfortable, stable, yet nimble – and that engine. Oh so torquey. I found myself sitting back a little further on the road with my butt touching the rear seat pad occasionally.

2020 KTM 1290 SuperDuke R

I wonder what the track bike geometry with the power parts head stem would be like on the road. I also wonder if you’d get away with running the Evo exhaust on the road. I reckon you nearly would… Oof. I need a moment.

Wayne one wants one just like this…

While I didn’t really get the time I’d usually get on my long term review to go through all of the settings (ok fine – I was too busy enjoying myself riding), I’m very much looking forward to doing that in a few months when they land in Oz ,which should be April apparently.

So where does that leave us?

2020 KTM 1290 SuperDuke R with optional exhaust

Well the new Super Duke R has moved the game on again. Its lighter, stiffer, gives more feedback, is more refined, has higher levels of performance and is even easier to ride than ever.

I reckon it’s slightly less prone to wave the front in the air due to the improved squat control, but don’t panic – it’s still happy to cut loose and point to the sky when you want it to. Despite being undoubtedly more refined, it hasn’t lost its soul.

It is still a KTM in every way and Ready To Race

Hopefully KTM Australia price it competitively, and realistically I think the quick-shifter and track modes should come as standard kit as opposed to being options. If they get the pricing right – they’ll have a line of potential buyers longer than the queue out the front of Pastels de Belem.

And I’ll probably be amongst them… Yep. I reckon it’s that good.

Obrigado Portugal.

2020 KTM 1290 SuperDuke R with optional exhaust

Why I like it

Even better than the old model in almost every way (and that was a ripper)
So, so easy to ride. Bulk fun. This is what a sports-bike should be
A seemingly endless supply of torque from the epic 1301 cc engine
Ultra stable yet nimble, plenty of feedback from both ends with grip for days
Still happy to be a bit of a loon
Much improved switchgear including direct controls for tc and presets (yay!)

2020 KTM 1290 SuperDuke R

I’d like it even more if….

It should really have the quick shifter as standard
Pity about the fuel range being slightly reduced. Hard to quantify what the range will equate to in real world conditions. KTM say 300 ish?
@Hermann – you need to develop that clip-on fairing kit we talked about please for those of us who’d like to take it onto faster tracks like Phillip Island. I don’t need payment for the idea – just send me one, stickered up like the motogp bike. Ta 😉

2020 KTM 1290 SuperDuke R

KTM 1290 Super Duke R Specifications (2020)

Engine
Engine Type	2-cylinder, 4-stroke, V 75°
Displacement	1,301 cc
Bore / Stroke	108/71 mm
Power	132 kW (180 hp) @ 9,500 rpm
Torque	140 Nm @ 8,000 rpm
Compression Ratio	13.5:1
Starter / Battery	Electric starter / 12V 12Ah
Transmission	6 gears
Fuel System	Keihin EFI (Throttle body 56 mm)
Control	8 V / DOHC
Lubrication	Pressure lubrication with 3 Eaton pumps
Engine Oil	Motorex, SAE 10W-50
Primary Drive	40:76
Final Drive	17:38
Cooling	Liquid cooling
Clutch	PASC™ slipper clutch, hydraulically operated
Ignition / Engine Management	Keihin EMS with RBW and cruise control, double ignition
Traction Control	MTC (lean-angle sensitive, 3-Mode, disengageable, Track mode optional)
Chassis
Frame	CrMo-steel trellis frame, powder coated
Subframe	Cast aluminium / Composite
Handlebar	Aluminium, tapered, Ø 28/22 mm
Front Suspension	WP APEX, Ø 48 mm
Rear Suspension	WP APEX shock absorber
Suspension Travel Front/ Rear	125 / 140 mm
Front Brake	2 x Brembo Stylema four piston, radially mounted caliper, brake disc Ø 320 mm
Rear Brake	Brembo two piston, fixed caliper, brake disc Ø 240 mm
ABS	Bosch 9.1 MP 2.0 (with cornering ABS and SUPERMOTO ABS)
Wheels Front / Rear	Cast aluminium wheels 3.50 x 17″; 6.00 x 17″
Tires Front / Rear	120/70 ZR 17; 200/55 ZR 17
Chain	X-Ring 525
Silencer	Stainless steel primary and secondary silencer with two catalytic converters
Steering Head Angle	64.8°
Trail	106 mm
Wheelbase	1,497 mm ± 15 mm
Ground Clearance	160 mm
Seat Height	835 mm
Fuel Tank Capacity	16 litres / 3.5 litres reserve
Fuel Consumption	6.17 l/100 km
CO₂	144 g/km
Dry Weight	189 kg

Source: MCNews.com.au

Motorcycle News, News

Yamaha TMAX 560 Review

February 4, 2020 mcnews Leave a comment

2020 Yamaha TMAX 560 tested by Adam Child

Right from the off, Yamaha’s TMAX maxi-scooter struck a chord in Europe. In France and Italy especially, they loved and still love Yamaha’s premium scooter but the uptake for premium scooters has been a little slower in Australia. The first TMAX was introduced in 2001, and since then Yamaha has sold two million units in various capacities worldwide, with a chunk of those sales in mainland Europe. It’s easy to see why; it’s such a brilliant, versatile bike.

The new for 2020 Yamaha TMax 560

To widen its appeal and make sure the TMAX remains on top (and Euro-5 compliant), Yamaha have delivered a new 560 TMAX for 2020. It is bigger in capacity and faster than ever before. They’ve also improved the design while retaining a premium feel. If you’ve never considered a maxi-scooter before, maybe it’s about time because this iteration is the fastest, sportiest and, in my opinion, best-looking TMAX yet.

Maximum power is up from 45.3 hp at 6750 rpm to 46.9 hp at 7600 rpm and peak torque is up from 39 ft-lbs to 41.1 ft-lbs at the same 5250 rpm. Peak power has moved up the rev range, and the torque has increased due to the increase in engine capacity from 530cc to 560cc. Yamaha is claiming the Euro5 2020 model is five-km/h faster and accelerates quicker.

The TMax features a liquid-cooled parallel two-cylinder

It certainly feels nimble. If you’ve never ridden a maxi-scooter before, its ability will take you by surprise. 120 to 135 km/h cruising speeds are uneventful and easy, and if you push hard enough you see the analogue speedo top out at 177 km/h. What surprised me the most was the bike’s acceleration from 120 km/h upwards – it’s still brisk and doesn’t labour, unlike most models in this maxi-scooter category.

There are two engine modes to choose from (which can be changed on the fly with a closed throttle) – touring and sport. Yamaha claim there is now a greater step between the two than before, but I’d contest that. There is a noticeable difference between the two modes, but it’s not huge. I spent 95 per cent of the ride in the touring mode which never felt lacking.

The TMax also features an electronics suite, including riding modes and traction control

One of the most significant changes for 2020 is the 2 mm increase in the bore, from 68 mm to 70 mm, which ups capacity from 530 cc to 560 cc. But it wasn’t just a case of oversizing the engine, there is more to it than that. The intake valves have increased in size, and there are new connecting rods, a lighter crankshaft, new camshaft, and new aluminium forged pistons. As before, the two cylinders are balanced by an opposed ‘dummy’ piston.

The increase in power and capacity means heat generation has increased, obliging Yamaha to improve the cooling system with a larger radiator and new air duct. But, despite the larger radiator, coolant capacity is reduced due to shortened coolant routing.
The TMAX still uses a CVT transmission – automatic, twist-and-go to me and you.

The TMax features an automatic CVT transmission, ideal for city and commuting conditions

However, the clutch engagement has reduced by 300 rpm to 4000 rpm, and gear ratios have been reduced, again to give a sportier feel and match the new engine performance.
To meet strict Euro 5 legislation, Yamaha had to produce a new exhaust system, with a twin catalytic converter. The materials used are stronger, which allows for the thinner exhaust, reducing its weight. Airfilter, throttle body and fuelling are all new for 2020.

The TMAX twin-cylinder engine has always had a distinctive feel and exhaust tone but now sounds meatier than before, with a little more character. Despite its capacity increasing, the overall bike is only 1 kg heavier, with some of this weight saved from the new exhaust.

The TMax also benefits from a meatier exhaust note alongside the capacity boost

Despite capacity and performance increases, Yamaha are claiming a 10 per cent improvement in fuel consumption for the already frugal Yamaha. 4.8 litres per 100km works out at around 59 mpg while the 15-litre fuel tank means the new TMAX should have a range of about 310 km (194 miles).

On test, I achieved considerably less than the claimed figure, but I did spend the majority of the time with the throttle wide open – sorry. However, I’ve ridden the now ‘old’ model extensively in the past, even attending the world launch in Cape Town in 2017, and achieved 55 mpg, so Yamaha’s claim seems reasonable.

2020 TMax updates include optimising the suspension settings

When Yamaha re-vamped the TMAX in 2017 they increased its sportiness by reducing weight (by 9 kg), moving the engine further forward in the chassis and by giving it a steeper head angle plus new suspension and a revised swing-arm. For 2020 the set-up changes aren’t as dramatic, but they have gone one step further, to make it sportier than before. The suspension has been ‘fine-tuned’ and the damping settings ‘revised’ with spring rates, front and rear, also increased.

Simply put, the set-up feels firmer than before but still plush. On the motorway the ride is smooth end effortless, without jolting on bumps and road imperfections. Equally, the handling is impressive, still very ‘scooter-like’ and easy to throw around considering the bike tips the scales at 220kg.

The result is a firmer but still plush ride from the 2020 TMax 560

Stability is also excellent, not what you would normally associate with a maxi-scooter on 15-inch wheels. In the mountains I was impressed enough to, on occasion, drag its centre stand though tight turns, and you could certainly embarrass a few conventional bikes if you were in the mood. Don’t underestimate the handling of a well-ridden TMAX.

When we encountered some heavy rain later in the day, the Yam’ didn’t disappoint. The feedback for a scooter was impressive and the Bridgestone rubber gave consistent grip, wet and dry.

The TMax is also formidable in wet conditions, with good grip from the Bridgestone rubber

My only complaint was that the TMAX felt a tad harsh over very bumpy sections, as if there was too much pre-load on the springs (pre-load is adjustable on the top-spec Tech model, but not in the standard bike). The first 1/4 to 1/2 of the suspension travel was smooth but the later part of the stroke was a little harsh. In fairness, we did encounter some very poorly surfaced roads as well as ancient cobbles (that were taken at speed). It will be interesting to see how the bike performs in the UK.

The brakes are unchanged for 2020 and do an excellent job of slowing proceedings. With no clutch, the back brake is on the left bar and comes into constant use, more so than normal. ABS, as you’d expect, is standard and isn’t too intrusive. There is also a parking brake on the left bar because, obviously, you can’t leave the bike in gear when parked on a hill.

R6 style brakes remain on the TMax 560, not needing any upgrade

We benefited from testing the top of the range Tech model which comes with an electronically adjustable screen that makes a huge difference on the motorway. Once fully raised you’re forced to look through the screen and not over it (this rider is 5 ft 7′), though very tall riders may be able to peer over the top.

With the screen up you’re in a cocoon of silence, all wind and wind-noise taken away from your upper body. Personally, I preferred the screen raised to just a quarter of the way up so I could look over rather than through.

The generous screen offers good protection on the TMax

Simple and easy-to-use cruise control comes as standard on the Tech model and there is enough storage under the seat for a reasonably large bag or two open face helmets – yes, touring is a genuine option on the TMAX.

The seat is nearly identical to the previous model’s, comfortable with small lumbar support ahead of the pillion seat. It was only towards the end of the day that I was forced to move around to ease nub-bum ache. From memory I thought the older bike was slightly better in this department, which may be down to the seat or perhaps the new suspension. It was far from uncomfortable, but I knew I’d done a full nine-to-five day in the saddle.

The TMax offers a generous and comfortable seat, with lumbar support

Traction control and ABS both come as standard, but are not lean-sensitive (there is no IMU monitoring lean angle). When the traction control kicks in it’s smooth, and the reintervention is effortless. And yes, on wet cobbles and white lines it did kick in from time to time.

The Tech MAX comes with an electric screen, cruise control, heated grips and seat, adjustable rear suspension, slight cosmetic changes, and My TMAX connectivity. The connectively not only allows you to view your ride, speed and lean angle but can be used as a tracking device.

2020 Yamaha TMax 560 in action

There is also a sports pack that includes a backrest and mounting, aluminium pegs, number plate holder and sports screen. An urban pack includes a top case and mounting, backrest and universal bar mounts.

Finally, a winter pack comprise of heated grips, apron and knuckle visor (handguards). Akrapovic produces silencers with a choice of two finishes for the new model and there is a range of detailed cosmetic options you can choose from.

A winter pack is also available for cold weather quality of life mods

Price at $16,599 ride away in Australia the TMAX is at the top end of the scooter food chain, but deservedly so.

The Yamaha TMax 560 faces some fierce competition in the Maxi-Scooter category

2020 Yamaha TMAX 560 Specifications

Yamaha TMAX – Technical Specification
Engine
Type	Parallel 2-cylinder, Liquid cooled, 4-stroke, DOHC, 4-valve
Displacement	562 cc
Bore x stroke	70.0×73.0 mm
Compression ratio	10.9:1
Maximum power	35.0 kW @ 7500 rpm
Maximum torque	55.7 Nm @ 5250 rpm
Lubrication system	Dry sump
Fuel system	Fuel injection
Ignition system	TCI/LMAR7G
Starter system	Electric starter
Transmission	V-belt automatic
Fuel consumption	4.8l / 100 km
CO2 emission	112g / km
Chassis
Front suspension	Telescopic fork
Front Travel	120 mm
Rear suspension	Swingarm (link suspension)
Rear Travel	117 mm
Front brake	Hydraulic dual disc brake, Ø267 mm
Rear brake	Hydraulic single disc brake, Ø282 mm
Front tyres	120/70R15M/C 56H Tubeless
Rear tyres	160/60R15M/C 67H Tubeless
Dimensions
Overall length	2,200 mm
Overall width	765 mm
Overall height	1,420 mm – 1,555 mm (adjustable windscreen)
Seat height	800mm
Wheelbase	1,575 mm
Min. ground clearance	125mm
Wet weight (including full oil and fuel tank)	218 kg
Fuel capacity	15 L
Oil capacity	3.50 L
RRP	$16,599 Ride Away

Source: MCNews.com.au

Motorcycle News, News

2020 Ducati Panigale V4 S Review

February 3, 2020 mcnews Leave a comment

The Beast is tamed…

Ducati Panigale V4 S review by Adam Child

In MotoGP, if you didn’t have wings last season you were on the outer and Ducati’s ‘winged’ Panigale V4 R dominated the British Superbike series last year and in World Superbike Ducati looked unstoppable, at one stage… Downforce-generating wings are now everywhere in motorcycle racing and now the technology is filtering down to the end-user on the road, which is great news for me and you. And yeah, they look pretty cool.

Ducati Panigale V4 S aero wings

For 2020 Ducati has added its distinctive wings to the Panigale V4 S along with other improvements such as updated Evo 2 electronics, revised handling, and easier-to-use power characteristics with lower torque in the first three gears.

Ducati Panigale V4 S

We sent international journalist, and former road racer, Adam Child, to Bahrain to test out the new $40,490, V4 S around the very fast 5.4 km F1 track. And yes, it rained, in the desert, where it never rains. But luckily the Brit is use to racing the rain, and if Ducati are claiming their new V4 S is easier to ride, then what better way to find out than in the wet at 180 mph?

Ducati Panigale V4 S

The 2020 V4S’s new wings are the same shape and dimensions as those seen on the WSBK and British Superbike machines that were so dominant last year. Aside from looking good and instantly shouting ‘I’ve bought a new Ducati’, they exist to create downforce and are now standard fitment.

Ducati Panigale V4 S

Like an aeroplane wing (in reverse) they only make a difference at high speed. At 100 km/h they create 4 kg of downforce; at 200 km/h, 16 kg; and at 1300 km/h, 37kg. This downforce has numerous benefits, chief among them a reduction in power wheelies as all that weight is pushed down onto the front end, meaning less electronic intervention by traction control and, for the rider, less rolling off of the throttle.

Ducati Panigale V4 S

Often at high speeds, a conventional front end can get flighty as the rushing airflow lifts the front, and the rider, holding on for dear life, accentuates the effect by pulling on the bars. As speed raises, the forks extend and in extreme situations the shock sits. But wings add downforce, forcing more weight onto the front wheel contact patch, giving a more planted feeling while allowing the bike to steer better and hold a tighter line.

Ducati Panigale V4 S

At Bahrain’s 5.4 km F1 race track, the wings were inspiring, while stability, even in the wet nudging 300 km/h, was excellent. There was a minor weave from the bars, but this was due more to the movement of the wet tyre at speed than aero. In 160 km/h-plus, third-gear corners the Ducati held its line impeccably, understeer lacking as the front tyre was squashed into the track.

Ducati Panigale V4 S

The only downside to aerodynamic downforce is that they create drag, which reduces top speed and will increase fuel consumption. However, Ducati has re-thought the bodywork for 2020, making the bike more aerodynamic to offset this, meaning top speed hasn’t been significantly affected. And hey if you’re worried about fuel economy, then perhaps don’t buy a Ducati Superbike.

Ducati Panigale V4 S

The front fairing is 15 mm wider per side, the screen 34 mm taller and the sides extend outwards 38 mm more than before. The larger fairing gives the rider an easier time; you can tuck out of the wind. And again, the added bodywork aids the stability as the rider, now cocooned behind a larger screen, isn’t holding on as hard and pulling on the bars as they fight the wind-blast.

Ducati Panigale V4 S

Ducati has even improved the air-flow around the bike, which should mean the Panigale might now be cooler in traffic, the now old bike did it’s best to BBQ your inner legs in summer.

Despite the V4S’s huge output, wheelies were never a problem on track in Bahrain, albeit on what is a super-flat F1 surface – though some of this progress could be down to the new V4’s reduced torque and superior electronic riding aids. Ducati has reduced the Desmosedici’s Stradale’s arm-ripping torque in the first three gears to make the bike more rideable before full torque is unleashed in the higher gears.

The four-cylinder Panigale is still rapid – the 1103 cc 90° V4’s peak power remains at 214 hp – but by allowing the rider to get on the power more smoothly and safely in those lower gears, it is markedly easier to use. This doesn’t mean slower – you can get on the power sooner, and without traction control intervention it ultimately means your top speed is higher on the straight and your lap-time is reduced with less effort from the rider.

Ducati have developed the front alloy frame from the V4 R WSBK bike, which reduces torsional and braking stiffness. Optimising chassis stiffness is like wearing race gloves, rather than over gloves: you have more feel, there is a closer connection between the front tyre and the rider. The damp conditions during our test amplified this, you could feel the accessible grip through the front Pirelli. Some sections of the F1 track had marginally more grip than others, a fact translated to my brain by subtle but distinct signals.

Ducati Panigale V4 S Ohlins electronic shock

Although the suspension seems visually the same as before, it’s very different. The bike’s centre of gravity has been raised 5 mm by raising the front by 4 mm while the rear shock is 2 mm longer with a 5 mm longer shock linkage. The rear spring rate is lower and pre-load is set higher.

Lifting a bike and raising the centre of gravity allows it to turn easier, like how tall people fall over easier than short people when drunk. The plusher rear adds grip and feel in the same way the chassis, mentioned above, has improved the front-end feel.

Ducati Panigale V4 S Ohlins electronic forks

The disadvantage of raising the C of G is that it tends to reduce the tyres’ edge grip at high angles of lean. To offset this Ducati has softened the rear suspension to aid grip and feel. The rear shock is a little softer and has more ride height, which has subsequently raised the seat height my 5 mm.

The bike undoubtedly turns with ease, and again wet conditions highlighted the improvements in front-end feel. You can feel the front tyre squirming and discovering grip, both on and off the brakes. The cornering ABS isn’t too intrusive and allows you to manipulate and feel that grip. Those Brembo radial M4.30 brakes are outstanding, the ABS EVO cornering system developed in partnership with Bosch is almost mind-blowingly effective. End of the straight, just shy of 185 mph, in torrential rain, and it’s time to jump on the stoppers for turn one – a first gear crawl of around 40 mph. The only bit we couldn’t test was edge grip at extreme lean. In the wet I wasn’t that brave. We will have to wait for a dry track day back home.

Ducati Panigale V4 S

For any rider to be fast they must have confidence in their bike, know where the limit is, and understand the feeling and level of grip from the tyres – and Ducati has significantly improved this feeling with the new V4S, the test’s wet conditions a great proving ground.

This isn’t just a bike for former racers anymore, a lightweight 214 hp superbike shouldn’t be so forgiving and, dare I say, so easy to ride in the wet. In back-to-back testing with the now old model, Ducati found that ultra-quick test rider, Michele Pirro, was 0.4s quicker on the new bike, while a more average fast track rider was over a second faster, highlighting how much easier the new bike is to ride.

Ducati Panigale V4 S

Some features of the bike have remained untouched. Ducati has kept the same engine spec’ and lay-out. The massive Brembo monobloc brakes remain, as does the cast aluminium single-sided swingarm. Other items carried over include the Marchesini aluminium wheels, magnesium head-lamp and mirror support and cast aluminium sub-frame. Pirelli Diablo Supercorsa SP rubber comes as standard with a 200/60 section rear but during our test we ran full race wets.

Ducati Panigale V4 S

The new EVO 2 system, which is similar to that used on the R model, is faster and smoother than before. Again, in the damp, you can feel the TC working overtime, but it’s only allowing a fraction less power than you’re asking for to control the slide and spin. In one very wet session it even coped with standing water without too many complaints. And remember, these rider aids can be changed on the move, via the three rider modes: race, sport, and street. Each mode adjusts the power, traction, wheelie and slide control, plus the cornering ABS, engine braking and even damping. With a closed throttle, change the mode, and simply switch over via the toggle on the left bar. It’s not confusing, just straight-forward to use.

Ducati Panigale V4 S

In one session, as the track and grip improved, I changed the pre-set modes, which increased the stiffness in the rear to increase high-speed stability (race wet tyres move around at high speed), and reduced the rider aids a fraction. I immediately noticed the difference these incremental changes made, again highlighting how much feedback the stunning new Ducati V4S gives.

Verdict

Yes, it was wet, more like the UK than Bahrain, and I would have preferred the dry, but in many ways it was a better to test Ducati’s claims of an easier, more forgiving bike for 2020.

Ducati Panigale V4 S

After riding all day in mixed conditions until dark I can confirm the 2020 V4S is more forgiving. I can certainly see a less experienced rider lapping quicker on the new bike, as Ducati found during their testing. You can ride faster and for longer as it’s easier.

Simply put, the beast has been tamed. It’s now far easier to ride, especially for less experienced riders. 214 horsepower has never been so simple to manage, and the wet test amplified this.

Ducati Panigale V4 S

It has arguably the best electronics package on any bike on the market and is also perhaps the most desirable and sexy sportsbike on sale too.

It is expensive and friends will be envious, so it’s not perfect, but close.

Adam Child with the Ducati Panigale V4 S at the world launch in Bahrain

2020 Ducati Panigale V4 Specifications

Source: MCNews.com.au

Motorcycle News, News

2020 Kawasaki W800 Street and Cafe Review | Motorcycle Tests

January 22, 2020 mcnews Leave a comment

Kawasaki W800 World Launch

Motorcycle Test by Adam Child ‘Chad’ – Images by CAPS

Kawasaki’s new W800 Street and Café deliver bags of character and soul, something that’s regularly missed by Japanese manufacturers. We travelled to Japan to test Kawasaki’s new heritage range, which can trace its routes back to the W1 650 of 1965.

The old W800 was loved by many. It was simple and straightforward, which appealed to a generation who remember when bikes had kick-starts. Equally a younger audience enjoyed personalising and modifying the W800 and the older W650.

The W800 enjoys a reputation as a characterful refined machine, as well as a platform for modifications

However, the discontinued now ‘old’ W800 was in desperate need of an upgrade, and no longer conformed to tighter Euro-4 legislation. From 2019 Kawasaki have delivered an all-new W800 and there are two variants to choose from, the laid back Street and the racier Café. Although both bikes may appear almost the same as the old model, they are entirely new.

Thankfully Kawasaki haven’t wondered too far from the path of the successful W800, and older W650. In a country led by technology where toilet seats are automatically warmed, they haven’t been tempted to chase horsepower, nor over-complicate a proven recipe. Kawasaki have kept it simple as a retro bike should be.

The 783cc powerplant remains air-cooled and retains the unique bevel gear driven cam, which Kawasaki admit is for cosmetic reason only. They could have opted for water-cooling and even conventional chain driven cams, which would have resulted in more power, but instead have kept with traditional air-cooling.

The W800 remains air-cooled, and pumps out 35 kW at 6500 rpm

Internally the engine has been upgraded with new pistons, but essentially it’s the same, with a quoted 47 bhp at 6000 rpm which means the new W800 is still A2 compliant.

The steel double cradle chassis is all-new and thicker to improve stiffness. The brakes have received a significant upgrade, the rear shoe brake has been replaced with a more modern disc item, and the front also sees an increase in the single disc diameter, up from 300 mm to 320 mm.

The most significant change to affect the handling is the change in front wheel size, the older 19 in front has been replaced with a 18 in front, matching the rear. The non-adjustable fork has also increased in diameter, up from 39 mm to 41 mm. Kawasaki have tweaked the handing characteristics to improve the responsiveness of the steering, to give the W800 a sportier edge.

The front wheel is also now an 18-inch item, with a larger 320 mm rotor

Cosmetically it’s all new. The Japanese built W800 has some lovely detail touches. I love the fact they’ve stayed with the bevel gear drive cams – they’ve gone to that extra effort. The air-cooled engine is a thing of beauty.

The twin swept back exhausts appear to have been stolen from the original Kawasaki 650W, which was launched in 1965 – the first mass production large capacity four-stroke to leave Japan. Everywhere you look there are nice little detail touches, the metal flakes in the metallic paintwork, the ‘old school’ switch gear looks like it’s been taken directly from the ’70s. The seat couldn’t be anymore retro, with the Kawasaki logo printed on the rear.

In Japan on the exclusive product launch, Kawasaki cleverly had an original 1965 W1 on display, which clearly highlighted the similarities between the original and new bike. The family resemblance was obvious.

They both looked like they been produced by the same man, in the same era, only the modern-day bike disc brakes hinted at the new bikes true age. On looks alone Kawasaki need to be applauded. Over the years Japanese manufactures have attempted to build in character and induce some soul but fall short – not this time.

The W800 Cafe (left) and W800 Street (right)

There are two variants to choose from, the Street or the pricier Café. Both share the same basic platform, identical engine, performance, chassis and brakes. The Street is easily identifiable with laid back bars, wide retro seat, chrome spoked rims and small details changes, like a black only bevel cover. The Café comes with racy drop bars, black wheels and engine, plus side tank pads, chrome bevel cover and obviously the front cowl.

Choosing which bike to ride first was the hardest decision of my two-day road test. After a flip of a coin I headed for the laid back Street. The relatively low seat (770 mm) makes the W800 as intimidating as Morris Dancing. I’m 5’7 and was securely flat-footed, while some of the shorter Japanese test riders at even 5’2 didn’t have any issues. The laid back bars, soft seat and wide rubber pegs immediately relax the senses – let’s take it easy.

The W800 Street offers an unintimidating ride

The view from the retro seat is throw-back to the ’70s. I love the simplicity of the switchgear, the ornate clocks are simple with large faces, analogue rev-counter on the right and speedometer on the left. There’s also a small digital display for multiple trips and clock.

The parallel twin, with a long-stoke 360-degree crankshaft starts with a rewarding burble. The twin exhausts sound as good as they look, a blip of the soft throttle results in an authentic exhaust tone and the odd ‘pop’ on the overrun. Kawasaki admittedly spent a huge amount of resources on the exhaust tone.

Obviously it’s Euro 4 compliant, there’s a cleverly hidden cat-converter, but even so they’ve successfully created a charismatic exhaust tone.

Pulling in the one-finger-light clutch with a new back-torque limiter, a neat click into first gear and our Japanese adventure begins.

The W800 is also a standout for boasting strong character

Kawasaki’s new W800 is as effortless and easy ride. You can smoothly change gear at any rpm, even as low as 2000 rpm and then simply short-shift to the national speed limit. The torque is very flat, and the fuelling at low speed is soft, effortless. Once in to fifth gear – top – your left foot can become redundant, the W800 will happily pull from low rpm.

As you can image with only 47 bhp, the air-cooled long-stroke engine could never be described as quick, it’s slow revving and almost lethargic, but it perfectly matches the bikes laid-back feel. If you find yourself constantly revving the W800, then sorry you’ve bought the wrong bike, this is laid back cruising at it’s best.

Cogging back one gear will result in a punch in power. Peak torque is at 4800 rpm but there is more than enough punch from 3000 rpm, which takes care of brisk overtakes with safety.

Peak torque was moved up to 4800 rpm on the updated W800

I only wanted more power when exiting slow uphill corners on many of the mountain passes we encountered. The air-cooled donk was more than enough for 90 per cent of the time, squeezing out an indicated 100 mph without too many woes, in fact the punch from 70-80 mph was more than I expected from an A2 licence legal bike.

The handling like the engine is easy, simple and lazy. Kawasaki have quickened the steering over the predecessor, with a smaller front wheel, but you could never describe the W800 as sharp. The wide bars allow you to have some fun in the twisties, you can throw it around with relative ease, but when the foot-pegs start scraping you know you’re having a little too much fun.

Wide ‘bars offer plenty of leverage on the W800 Street

Even when the pegs start to leave trails of sparks, the handling is natural, it doesn’t feel like you’re at the limitations of the W800’s handling. The new suspension is softly sprung, but still has reasonable control and damping. Some roads in Japan were poor in places but the new W800 took imperfections without jolts and jarring, the ride is smooth.

When you ask a little too much of the new ABS assisted brakes, the front forks travel a little more than I’d like, but they don’t dive to the ground like a scared toddler after a car backfires. With a full four-fingered approach the stoppers have some rewarding bite, and the rear disc brake is a big step from the old shoe item.

W800 Street

The W800 Café

Despite sharing many similarities with the Street, the Café feels like a very different bike. The seat is taller by 20 mm and firmer. Despite being higher it’s still easy to get two feet securely onto the road, as it’s much narrower than the Streets wider and more comfortable seat.

The Café racer bars dramatically alter your body position, you’re now perched further forward with more weight on your wrists. It’s not as natural as the Street, a tad uncompromising around town, but not uncomfortable.

The W800 Cafe offers relatively minor differences for a very different feel and ergo

On the open road the Café feels more alive. The aggressive almost racy riding position encourages you to ride a little quicker, hold the revs a little longer and is accompanied by the same charismatic exhaust tone. Once into the mountain region of Kirigamine I preferred the racy Café, despite having the same engine and chassis I was riding a little faster, a little to the annoyance of the Japanese locals who strictly stuck to the speed limit despite being in the middle of nowhere.

But the Café style does come with compromises. The short narrow bars slows down the steering as you simply don’t have the leverage the wide bars give you to throw it into a corner. At high speed it doesn’t feel as stable at the Street, and furthermore as you have more weight over the front, the forks don’t feel as plush, but this may also have been a result of the increased speed.

In the mountain region of Kirigamine I preferred the racy Café

Despite moving the riders’ weight further forward Kawasaki didn’t change the suspension set up between the Café and the Street. And personally, I’d prefer the standard pegs to be further back, racier but not simply the same as the Street.

Of course, arguably the Café is a styling exercise, and hasn’t been led by performance or handing and in terms of appeal and look, the Café hits the nail on the head. The front cowl is a throwback to the café racer culture, but is more for show than any real wind protection.

Personally, I prefer the looks of the Café over the Street, and on day one I did favour the feel of the racer. But after two days and over 300 km of relatively steady Japanese riding, I favoured the Street.

Kawasaki W800 Cafe

For me the lazy easy handling matches the laid back stance and ride of the Street, it’s the perfect match. And after riding the original 1965 W800 W1, which Kawasaki dragged out of their museum specifically for this event, the new W800 is very much like the original, but with modern technology, better brakes and rideability.

For a short blast to the coast or favourite biker hangout, I’d favour Café, but after two day of touring, I’d choose the Street. And yes, I did say touring. The comfort at legal speeds is exceptional, the ride quality is impressive, I’d certainly take on some serious miles on the Street. This latest model even comes with a larger fuel tank.

Of the two, I’d pick the Kawasaki W800 Street

We took on all types of roads and weather, the standard Dunlop K300 surprisingly coping with all conditions. There’s even an optional rear rack and heated grips. At high speeds it’s a little vibey, mainly through the rubber pegs and there’s no economy, range/distance to empty measurement or even a gear position indicator, but otherwise it’s a hard bike to fault.

If you’re looking for a retro easy-to-ride middle-weight machine the market is flooded with attractive choices. Moto Guzzi’s A2 air-cooled V7 is the obvious competition. You could even throw in Harley’s air-cooled 883, Triumph’s water-cooled more powerful Street Twin or Enfield’s new 650 twin, and this is where the Kawasaki stumbles a little as it’s one of the more expensive of the wide selection of middle-weight retro machines.

The W800 Street is available for $12,999 RRP + ORC, while the W800 Cafe is available for $13,999 RRP + ORC. The Royal Enfield Interceptor 650 starts at $9,790 Ride-Away and the Continental GT 650 starts at $9,990 Ride-Away. The Moto Guzzi V7 III Stone in comparison was $14,390 Ride-Away in 2019.

There’s also plenty of competition for the W800, with price being an area some competitors compare strongly

In Kawasaki’s defence, you can see where the money has been spent. The bevel gear driven cam engine, with it’s wide cooling fins is lovely looking, with perfect fuelling. The exhaust has a charismatic tone, the detailing is lovely, the Japanese made Kawasaki feels quality, which arguably justifies the increase in price over the competition.

The W800 Verdict

With over 20-years of professionally testing bikes under my belt, I’ve lost count of the amount of Japanese retro, or cruiser bikes which ride perfectly and look great, but lack character and soul. They simply can’t match the character and soul of similar bikes made in Europe or America. However, the new W800 Street and Café, re-sets that balance. They both have genuine soul, especially the Street which can trace its DNA back to the original W1 from 1965.

Kawasaki W800 Street

Bikes in the class shouldn’t be evaluated on performance, or handling – it’s how it makes you feel; do you feel pride in ownership, does it make you smile every time you open the garage door? Every time I rode the new W800 I smiled, even on day three I wasn’t bored of the easy-to-ride Kawasaki.

Grab your open face helmet, leather jacket, protective jeans and take the W800 for a test ride. Don’t go chasing the revs and performance, relax, turn off your phone and life worries, just enjoy the simplicity and charm the W800 delivers.

Kawasaki W800 Cafe

Kawasaki W800 Specifications

Source: MCNews.com.au

Motorcycle News, News

2020 Triumph Street Triple RS Review | Motorcycle Tests

January 3, 2020 mcnews Leave a comment

Motorcycle Test by Trevor Hedge – Images iKap / Triumph

Only two years after the last significant update Triumph have come out all guns blazing for 2020 with yet another major revamp of the Street Triple RS.

A major boost in performance came in 2017 that really pumped the sporting credentials of the Street Triple much higher than we had seen before, and pitched the model to a higher end market than previous generation Street Triple models. The Street Triple RS got its big boost from 675 to 765cc in that last update and now for 2020 that 765 cc engine has undergone major revisions to boast yet more performance.

Triumph Street Triple RS Engine — 2020 Triumph Street Triple RS

Better manufacturing tolerances within the gearbox have now negated the previous anti-lash gears on the balance shaft and the back of the clutch basket. Shorter first and second gears boost performance off the mark while Triumph’s now well proven slip-assist clutch reduces lever effort and aids positive lock-up on acceleration. An up-down quick-shifter continues the up-spec’ theme and works best when used in anger. When bumbling around town, the use of a little clutch helps smoothen things out.

Triumph Street Triple RS Mid — 2020 Triumph Street Triple RS

The challenge of meeting Euro5 specification has seen engine development programs across the whole spectrum of motorcycling step up a gear. Euro 5 has also seen Triumph install two smaller and more premium catalytic convertors that replace the previous single unit while a new balance pipe is claimed to smooth out the torque curve. The exhaust cam has changed while the intake ducting has also been revised.

So is this all about emissions and Euro5 or do we get more go?

That we do, and while peak numbers don’t change much, mid-range torque and power are up by a massive nine per cent.

Triumph Street Triple RS Torque — 2020 Triumph Street Triple RS

The 2020 Street Triple RS generates 121 horsepower at 11,750 rpm with 79 Nm of torque peaking at 9350 rpm. That peak torque is only 2 Nm higher than before, but between 7500 and 9500 rpm are where those much larger increases in torque are realised, and they are really felt on the road.

Triumph Street Triple RS Power — 2020 Triumph Street Triple RS

Engine inertia has also been reduced by 7 per cent due to improved manufacturing tolerances borne from Triumph’s involvement as the exclusive engine supplier to the Moto2 World Championship. Higher precision machining on the crankshaft and balance shaft are the primary contributors that help the motor to spin up much more eagerly than before.

And wow it really does spin up so effortlessly that it actually takes you a little by surprise just how quickly the engine responds. This led me to staying out of the Sport mode for most riding duties as it was actually a little too frenetic. Even small road bumps that normally would never affect your throttle position were felt, such is the liveliness of this latest generation engine. The lack of inertia combined with the hefty increase in mid-range urge makes the new Street Triple RS feel a bit like an ADD kid fizzing to be let off the leash. General road duties are better undetaken in, funnily enough, Road mode, and the Track mode better left to the track… Triumph claim a seven per cent reduction in rotational inertia, it feels like even more.

Triumph Street Triple RS Trev — 2020 Triumph Street Triple RS

The original Street Triples of over a decade ago were very playful, and a doddle of a bike to lark about on while pulling monos all over the place or ripping skids. In contrast, these latest Generation Street Triple RS machines are much more serious, things happen much quicker and the outright level of sporting performance is a long way forward from the fun little street-bike that the Street Triple started life as back in 2007. While engine performance has come a long way, particularly in regards to the way it grunts out of the basement in to a very muscular mid-range, the chassis has taken perhaps even larger steps over that time.

Triumph Street Triple RS Shock — 2020 Triumph Street Triple RS – Ohlins TTX40

The RS model of 2017 is improved upon further for 2020 with an STX40 Ohlins shock replacing the TTX36 of the previous model. Triumph claim that it offers much better resistance to fade and runs at significantly cooler operating temperatures. The swing-arm is an interesting design with quite a radical gull-wing lay-out.

While I did not have the tools to measure the temperature of the shock I can attest that it remained fade free on bumpy Queensland back roads and also stood up to the rigours of Lakeside Raceway on a very hot December day. It feels like premium suspension should feel with quality damping response that provides great feedback to the rider, while remaining plush enough to not beat you to death on crap road surfaces.

Triumph chose 41 mm Showa big-piston forks for the front of the machine. Their engineers claim that this choice was made purely on performance as their test riders preferred the response of the Showa forks over the comparable spec’ Ohlins kits they evaluated. I found no reason to argue their findings after a busy few days on the bike. Adjusting the compression and rebound on the top of the fork legs is not as easy as I would have liked as they were obviously designed to use on a sports-bike with clip-ons, rather than with the single-piece bars on the Triumph that get in the way of the clickers.

Triumph Street Triple RS Switches — 2020 Triumph Street Triple RS – Fork adjustments are not the easiest to access

It is fair to say the kit at both ends is more than good enough in every role and you are going to have to be one very fast and accomplished rider before the suspension is going to be the limiting factor in your own performance. Most, myself included, run out of both talent and balls before the suspension is out of its comfort zone.

Still, I certainly don’t think that on a race-track it would prove quicker than Suzuki’s comparably out-dated GSX-R750. Despite its relative age the GSX-R is still quite a weapon of a sports-bike that is very easy to ride fast, thus it is actually somewhat of a testament to the naked Street Triple RS that its outright circuit performance can be even compared to the legendary GSX-R.

On a tight and testing back road though, the agility, mid-range punch and more upright stance of the Street Triple RS would win out and make for a more enjoyable back-road fang machine.

Triumph Street Triple RS Brakes — 2020 Triumph Street Triple RS – Brembo M50

Brembo M50 four-piston radial stoppers complete with a Brembo MCS ratio and span adjustable brake lever were fault free in both power and response when hauling the 166 kilogram machine to a stop.

Triumph Street Triple RS MC — 2020 Triumph Street Triple RS – Brembo RCS master cylinder has adjustable ratio

The bike actually feels even lighter than that 166 kg dry number as the first time I pulled it off the side-stand the bike banged straight into my legs as I had used way more effort than required. It feels more like leveraging a dirt-bike around than a regular road bike.

Triumph Street Triple RS Above — 2020 Triumph Street Triple RS is one very light machine

New LED headlights and daytime running lights sharpen the front end look and combine with a more angular silhouette all round that has further modernised the profile of the machine. Despite the minimalist proportions Triumph have managed to fit a 17.4-litre fuel tank in there which should make for an easy 300 kilometre touring range.

Triumph Street Triple RS Lights — 2020 Triumph Street Triple RS – New shape LED headlights update the look

Instrumentation has gone full colour TFT and is available with GoPro and Bluetooth functionality to provide turn-by-turn navigation cues on the display via the optional connectivity module. The display can be switched through four different lay-outs and four different colour schemes.

Triumph Street Triple RS Dash — 2020 Triumph Street Triple RS – Screen has various different display modes with differing lay-outs

Triumph have added some different layers of film in the display to greatly reduce glare but I found the default colour scheme not all that great in regards to the way each selection is highlighted when out in the sun and switching through the five riding modes or ABS/Traction settings. On the plus side the whole dash is adjustable for angle.

The navigation prompts and Bluetooth system with phone/music interoperability was still in the final stages of development and not yet available for us to test during the model launch but we are told the system is now fully functional and available for activation.

Triumph Street Triple RS Seats — 2020 Triumph Street Triple RS – Seat is actually quite comfortable and at 825 mm low enough for most

A new seat design and padding makes the perch an appreciably nicer place to spend time and at 825 mm is low enough for just about anyone. Triumph claim that the pillion seat is also more comfortable and boasts more leg-room but to me it still looks a horrendous place to contemplate spending any time.

The standard bar end mirrors work well and look good. Heated grips and tyre pressure monitoring are optional extras and Triumph have quick-release tank and tail bags ready to go.

Triumph make no excuses for where they are pitching the Street Triple RS in the market-place and the premium level of kit utilised throughout the machine certainly justify its $18,050 +ORC price point. However, when there are many larger capacity and more powerful offerings already on offer it might be somewhat of a hard sell in what is a currently difficult market. Riders that place prime importance on the light is right mantra, and have a clear desire for high spec’ suspension and braking components should certainly do themselves a favour and sample the Street Triple RS for themselves. In this upper mid-capacity segment it is a performance leader and the most premium offering.

Arriving soon is also a LAMS legal variant dubbed the Street Triple S for new riders with an engine detuned for those requirements along with lower spec’ suspension and braking components. The specifications for both bikes are selectable in the table below.

Specifications

Source: MCNews.com.au

Motorcycle News, News

Yamaha Tenere 700 Review | Motorcycle Tests

December 18, 2019 mcnews Leave a comment

Motorcycle Test by Trevor Hedge – Images by iKap

After one of the longest public gestation periods in motorcycling history, Yamaha’s eagerly awaited XT700 Tenere is now starting to hit the floors in showrooms.

Yamaha Tenere XT — A great looking bike – Yamaha Tenere 700

It is interesting to compare the approaches of European manufacturers and Japanese brands when it comes to adventure bikes. The likes of KTM, Triumph, Ducati and BMW throw every bit of technology and about the broadest feature list seen on any class of motorcycle at their adventure bikes.

Despite having a wide variety of technology available in their wider line-up, Japanese brands take the opposite approach, deliberately keeping their adventure bikes relatively spartan when it comes to kit. Suzuki’s V-Strom has been marching on largely unchanged for a long time while, despite the optional DCT gearbox, Honda also took a fairly low-spec’ approach when they first introduced the CRF1000L Africa Twin. Both Suzuki and Honda are putting a bit more standard kit on their adventure offerings for the coming 2020 models, but still, nothing like the endless list of tech’ and big horsepower boasted by the European manufacturers is currently available from a Japanese brand.

Yamaha Tenere iKap XT D — Yamaha Ténéré 700

Now Yamaha have perhaps gone the most basic of all with the new XT700 Tenere. No traction control, no cruise control, no tyre pressure monitoring, no electronic suspension, no riding modes, no quick-shifter or slipper clutch, no heated grips…

Obviously Yamaha are reckoning that less can be more in the bush, and that their reputation for producing reliable and bullet-proof motorcycles at a very competitive price point will be what makes for sales success.

Early indications are they may be right…

Yamaha had already sold over 350 of the bikes well before they arrived and any new customers putting a deposit down are now likely to have wait until February before they can ride off into the sunset on their new beast.

Yamaha Tenere XT Trev — Yamaha Ténéré 700

Most of the press got two days on the bike, but I enjoyed a full five days and almost 2000 predominantly off-road kilometres on the motorcycle. I was glad to have that extended opportunity to really gel with the bike which allowed me to gain a proper insight in to what a buyer can expect to experience if taking one home for good.

While most of the off-road riding was not overly technical in nature, we did get a few little special tests thrown in to sample the machine in terrain that the more adventurous motorcyclist might negotiate from time to time during their travels. A lot of these later in the week were in situations where it was not feasible to have a photographer stationed due to time constraints etc. so as for the rutted out twin-track and rocky ascents you will just have to take my word for it. Plus, it was damn hot and I just wanted to ride the bike to get to the beer at the other end!

The bikes also fared very well and kept their cool despite ambient temperatures on most days rarely dipping below 35-degrees celsius. This water play in the cover shot at the top might look nice and refreshing but it was actually 39-degrees down there in that river and cooking!

A short play on the beach early on day one saw me not get too carried away as it was already warming up. My fitness levels are not as good as they once were, which had me playing the long game and conserving energy where possible, so I had plenty in the bag for when it was really needed. At the end of the week I actually had fewer aches and pains than what I had started it with! Which must be a great testament to the Tenere 700, while serving as a stark reminder how unhealthy riding a computer is!

The ergonomics on the Tenere 700 were, for me, pretty much spot on. The bend of the leg felt completely neutral and comfortable for my 178 cm frame. There seems to be an almost endless amount of leg-room available while seated for seven-footers let along six-footers.

Seated or standing the riding position worked well for me. Those that always ride up on the pegs simply rotated the bars away a little further to change the reach and with it the angle of the levers. The standard brake lever is adjustable for span while the non-hydraulic clutch lever is not. I rode a few different spec’ bikes kitted out with various options and while the standard levers work well enough, I would fork over the coin for the very trick optional levers ($188 for the brake and $151 for the clutch), in the Yamaha catalogue. I loved them. Just make sure you get some Barkbusters to protect them while you are at it.

The seat is slim and extends a long way up the bike but does not go quite as far towards the head-stem as you would see on pukka dirt-squirters. Thus really hard-core riders coming from an off-road competition background might prefer something that extends a little further forward, but for the other 99 per cent of us the slight ‘sit-in’ nature of the Tenere 700’s pew is perfectly amenable in every scenario.

The standard seat height is 870 mm but the narrow mid-section of the bike and relatively flat seat make it easy to throw a leg over. An optional lower seat reduces it a little further to 863 mm and for those who are really short of leg and want the machine as low as possible Yamaha offer a lowering link that positions the perch at 845 mm. This would really be an option of last resort as suspension performance is sure to be compromised slightly when changing the linkage.

A rally seat is another option and one that could be quite handy for adventurers. It replaces the standard dual-seats with a flatter and narrower single piece seat with more grip on the sides. Another unexpected advantage of the rally seat is that it makes removing the whole seat unit a simpler process. With a turn of the key the whole seat pops off, while with the standard set-up the rear pillion seat pops off with the key, but a supplied allen key is then required to remove the rider’s seat.

Yamaha Tenere Australian Launch — Yamaha’s Tenere 700 – The pub did have beer….

After long hours in the saddle the seat had started to gnaw at my bum a little on the first couple of days but then I adapted and toughened up a little, and was actually finding it more amenable as the week progressed. Don’t expect it to be 1000 kilometres a day on the tar comfortable, but it is more comfortable than something like a standard DR650 seat, or much else that is this capable on the dirt.

And it is very capable.

KYB provide the fully-adjustable forks and shock. The 43mm inverted forks are adjustable for compression and rebound damping while the piggyback shock has a handy wheel to dial in your pre-load.

There is 240 mm of ground clearance and the forks offer 210 mm of travel while the shock works through 200 mm. Dakar riders such as Rod Faggotter had an active role providing feedback to Yamaha’s chassis engineers late in the development cycle of the model and it shows.

Yamaha Tenere Trio Accessorised — Yamaha Ténéré 700 colour line-up

The suspension offers a good balance between all-round suppleness and hard-core capabilities. Those that want to get big air over erosion banks and hit things hard might want to firm things up at both ends beyond what is achievable via the quite large range of adjustment via the clickers. But even at my current weight I reckon I would just roll with the standard set-up for the most part, unless I really wanted to start to push the envelope and was riding the bike predominantly off-road and regularly hitting things hard in anger. More travel would be nice for those that really like to ride consistently hard off-road, but the large reservoir on the shock helps to prevent fade and ensured consistent performance long after I had started to fade…

When the going gets rough a 21-inch front is always a massive asset and one that the Tenere puts to good use. The rims proved strong during the test but require tubes and are not tubeless ready.

The outright performance on the road during my time with the bike was always going to be compromised by the off-road specific Pirelli Scorpion Rally rubber, however, it did seem to work well enough when pushed to hint that on the road the Tenere 700 will cut a line well. I suspect it might prove a reasonable weapon on a tight and twisty back-road.

Will it feel underpowered on the road?

Depends on the road I guess… The engine is punchy and will almost get you to 200 km/h if you persist, but where it really shines is on the dirt.

It really does pull well from down low, so much so that on the penultimate day I was really starting to revel in the bike through a seemingly endless series loose gravel based switchbacks. The surface had little grip but was consistent, a quick closure of the throttle was enough to have the back end of the Tenere breaking away under compression, before then transitioning into gentle throttle on the way out to continue the arc. Apex speeds were sometimes below 40 km/h but after initially playing in third gear, I then started to just slide from apex to apex in fourth. The dampened response off the bottom in the higher gear made it so playful and easy to control, which, along with a little weight shift on the pegs, had the bike just ever so slightly drifting from turn to turn. It was immensely satisfying and rewarding, fecken poetry is what it was.

The engine is the well regarded 689 cc parallel twin that has been powering the MT-07 and XSR700 for the past few years. It breathes a little differently in XT700 guise due to a different air-box and exhaust but is virtually unchanged as a power unit from its road siblings. Australian and New Zealand delivered bikes have an oiled air-filter for better protection from dust ingress while overseas the bikes ship with a standard paper based filter.

The numbers are 74 horsepower at 9000 rpm, and 68 Nm of torque at 6500 rpm. The engine is genuinely useful as low as 2500 rpm and there are no grumbles while lugging it around in the upper gears with the engine driving out of the basement. Of course there are no huge gobs of torque hitting the rear tyre in comparison to much larger and more powerful engines available, but I didn’t miss that massive grunt as much as I thought I would.

Yamaha Tenere XT Trev Mono — Yamaha Ténéré 700 – Wheelie around the bend

More power would have just had me doing more wheelies from higher speeds, and turning that rear 150/70-18 rear Pirelli into gello. The lighter weight and lesser power of the XT700 is going to translate into dramatically reduced rear tyre wear when shod with off-road rubber in comparison to big-bore adventure bikes and the engine has a proven track record for bullet-proof reliability.

The brakes are Brembo front and rear and Yamaha have not skimped on the fit-out. A pair of 282 mm disc rotors up front and a 245 mm rear proved well up to the task of hauling up a fully fuelled 204 kilograms of Yamaha complete with a larger than the average bear test pilot on board. The control at the levers felt progressive and I have no complaints. The ABS system is switchable but is well tuned enough for it to be left on in most scenarios. I bucked the trend of the other testers and deliberately left the ABS on for much of the off-road work, to see how it fared, and the system was largely unobtrusive and cycled quick enough for it not to be a massive drawback. Loose shale descents or mud aside, many riders will still be safer off-road with it on rather than deactivated. ABS has come such a long way, I really do urge you to try these latest systems before dismissing them out of hand.

Yamaha offer a titanium Akrapovic slip-on muffler and while it looks tasty it doesn’t really give the bike any discernible increase in power. I believe it is rated at the same decibel level as the standard pipe, but it does add a little more timbre to its bark that is quite enjoyable, particularly when short-shifting in the tight stuff. That said, I would probably keep that $1149 in my pocket and spend it on other things. Save you crying when you dent it too….

I do wish the XT700 had pannier mounts integrated into the rear sub-frame, so the optional hard panniers sat closer to the bike, but unfortunately racks are required to mount the hard luggage. Soft throw-overs will be the go.

Yamaha Tenere Acessories — Yamaha Ténéré 700

Yamaha have a full suite of protection ready to go in their accessories catalogue including radiator guard ($197), engine guard ($424), skid plate ($466) and headlight guard ($172.70) that would be wise investments.

The stark four-eye look first seen on the T7 concept all those years ago has thankfully not been lost in translation from prototype to production line. It looks pukka desert rally raid. I am not yet in a position to comment as to its effectiveness as our riding was completed during the day.

The rally style cockpit theme not only extends to the tall screen but an almost tablet style LCD is mounted on rubber blocks that help isolate it from vibration. One would imagine this would be primarily for longevity, but I did find that as the display was well forward of the windscreen that this made it somewhat more susceptible to dust covering the display. The screen is greyscale not colour, thus the dust quickly made it hard to read.

My primary bugbear though regards to the tripmeter functions. There is a fuel gauge that indicates the level remaining in the 16-litre tank, but by the time you get to the last bar you still have more than 100 kilometres of range remaining, then when the system deems itself as fuel critical and starts flashing, a trip counter then starts recording the further distance travelled. There is no indication of the range to empty. This is an annoying oversight in my opinion, and one I raised when questioning Yamaha’s project leader for the Tenere 700 in this interview (Link).

Yamaha claim a touring range of over 350 kilometres and while I think that is entirely doable, it would be much safer banking on a range to empty of around 300 kilometres when planning your routes.

One rider broke a standard plastic hand-guard in a fall. Another had a side-stand spring go walk-about in rough terrain which required some trail smarts to secure the stand to prevent the side-stand switch cutting the ignition. While another rider suffered a rock impact with the side-stand switch. Thus this was the only real foible we discovered that might strand you on the trail and require some MacGyvering to get mobile again. We could have just got unlucky, like the time I witnessed three Fireblades on the launch of the 929 back in 2000 all end up with punctured radiators from stone damage. Still, it might pay to bypass the side-stand switch if you are heading out bush and take this possible point of failure out of the equation all together. The switch bypass is something that was generally done back in the day as a matter of course for off-road bikes when side-stand switches first started appearing on every motorcycle 25 years ago.

That aberration aside the Tenere 700 is a great piece of kit and looks set to become Australia’s most popular adventure motorcycle. Its competitive ride away price of $17,149, combined with the solid engineering integrity that Yamaha is famous for, will ensure that success.

Would Yamaha get my money in the present market?

I think they might. I reckon it would prove bullet-proof while being easy to maintain and cheap to service. I might miss the grunt of the bigger options out there while playing silly buggers, but that value equation keeps coming back to front of mind and might win me over when it came down to which brand was going to get my coin…

Do I reckon there might be an even more off-road specific Tenere 700 with much longer travel suspension and even more off-road chops?

I think that depends on the success of this model. Check out my interview with project leader Takushiro Shiraishi where I ask him exactly that.

Tenere Launch Takushiro Shiraishi iKap XT LD — Takushio Shiraishi – Yamaha Tenere 700 Project Lead Interview

Thanks to Greg Yager and his RideADV crew for looking after us and the bikes during the Tenere 700 launch.

Yamaha Tenere 700 Specifications XT700

Specifications
Engine Type	2-Cylinder, 4-stroke, liquid-cooled, DOHC, 4-valves
Displacement	689 cc
Bore x Stroke	80.0 mm x 86.6 mm
Compression Ratio	11.5 : 1
Maximum Power	74 hp @ 9000 rpm
Maximum Torque	68 Nm @ 6500 rpm
Lubrication System	Wet sump
Clutch Type	Wet, Multiple Disc
Fuel System	Fuel Injection
Ignition System	TCI
Starter System	Electric
Transmission System	Constant mesh 6-speed
Final Transmission	Chain
Frame	Double cradle steel tube
Front Suspension	Telescopic forks, 210 mm travel
Rear Suspension	Swingarm – link type suspension, 200 mm travel
Front Brake	Hydraulic single disc, 282 mm
Rear Brake	Hydraulic single disc, 245 mm
Brake System	Switchable ABS
Front Tyre	90/90-21 54V M+S Spoke wheels / Pirelli Scorpion Rally STR
Rear Tyre	150/70-18 70V M+S Spoke wheels / Pirelli Scorpion Rally STR
Overall Length	2365 mm
Overall Width	915 mm
Overall Height	1455 mm
Seat Height	880 mm
Wheelbase	1590 mm
Min Ground Clearance	240 mm
Wet Weight	204 kg (Full tank and all fluids)
Fuel Tank Capacity	16 L
Colours	Ceramic Ice, Competition White, Power Black
Warranty	Two years, unlimited kilometres
Price	$17,149 Ride Away

Yamaha Tenere XT Atmos — Yamaha Ténéré 700

Source: MCNews.com.au

Motorcycle News, News

2019 KTM 790 Adventure Review | Motorcycle Test

December 6, 2019 mcnews Leave a comment

2019 KTM 790 Adventure Review

Motorcycle Test By Wayne Vickers

For a fresh model, there’s a lot to like about the 790 Adventure. A whole lot. I spent some time on its sister bike the 790 Duke a few months back so had a reasonable idea of what to expect – but even then I was seriously impressed.

It’s a nice bike to live with day to day – and even with a couple of very minor niggles, it would have to go close to getting the gong for class leading mid-weight soft-roader.

KTM Adventure TH — 2019 KTM 790 Adventure

Contrasting to the Duke, the Adventure version has a little more scale to its overall dimensions and as a result doesn’t feel like a smaller capacity bike, like the Duke did.

I really gelled with the size. With its 850mm seat height it’s an easy thing to throw a leg over and on the go it feels super maneuverable. Worth noting that the seat height is 10mm lower than the F 850 GS, but it feels like a bigger difference than that.

Also worth noting that it’s 30mm lower than the longer travel Adventure R version, and I’m sure that a fair chunk of the inherent handling capabilities come from the work that’s gone into weight placement and distribution.

The new 790 parallel twin is ridiculously compact, which allows the engineers to package it up in a way that gives even more clearance while keeping weight where it needs to be. And then of course there’s the funky fuel tank.

I admit that I had a bit of a psychological hurdle to get over with the placement of the wrap-around tank that drops down either side of the motor. The reality is that the design has no real issues for a soft-roader.

The only time I was conscious of them was when I was sneaking around the boom gate into the work carpark where you need to pay attention to the curb, but it’s still safely clear of getting close to contact. So the issue is a mental one to overcome.

There’s 20 litres capacity there which gives a very handy range – I saw over 440 km a few times on my commute and it would have still had another 20 km left in it.

On the R version and if you intend on doing serious off-roading, then you’d throw some crash protection on there anyway wouldn’t you? I’m sure there are numerous options out there.

While thinking about options, you’d probably also want to throw some spotlights on it too as the headlight throw isn’t as wide as I’d like given that I often have no choice but to ride amongst roos at night.

The engine is also a little detuned from the Duke variant. I dunno why. When you have the ability to switch tunes electronically and have such good traction control, I don’t understand why you’d dial some power out.

Just give it the full welly so when you can use it, it’s there!

When I picked it up I knew it was slightly detuned and my immediate impression was that there wasn’t much hump there.. but it was actually in ‘Off-Road’ mode which tames it down even further.

A bit of a poke of the mode button controls had that sorted and it was more like what I expected. There’s 95 horses there and it’s genuinely a very good thing on the go with a surprisingly strong mid-range and top end.

KTM Adventure WV — 2019 KTM 790 Adventure

Top gear roll on is bloody impressive and feels on par or better than anything else in its class. It can protest a little if you ask too much of it under 2500 revs – which you can occasionally fall into doing as its so tractable you forget to change down.

But keep the 790 over 4000rpm and it’s superb. How strong? A little dip of the throttle in second gear and getting back on it will loft the front up every time. It’s a ripper.

The throttle feel is spot on, as is the quick shifter. Super smooth. In fact.. And this might sound weird but bare with me, it’s almost.. too smooth? Is that even possible you ask?

Well let me explain. I did find that I’d occasionally miss up-shifts in that I’d find myself lifting my foot so gently that it would trip the clutch engagement and the revs would rise, but I hadn’t moved the lever enough to trip the gear change.

I’d probably like a little more solidity to the gear change, but it really is nitpicking. Admittedly the lever is positioned quite high with plenty of room for adventure/off road boots like mine – Trev commented on the lever position too but he was wearing road boots and had just stepped off the 1290 Super Duke and of course the shifter position is adjustable, it’s just that engagement is never quite rifle-bolt positive, a trait of pretty much every KTM gearbox I am yet to sample.

Downshifts were a delight and I didn’t miss a single one. You can almost lean on the lever and it will pull the gear in and slip down a cog. Lovely.

Suspension, brakes and overall handling were faultless and I found the riding position really natural. Controls are light and precise, like most soft roaders/adventure bikes the front brake is dialled more towards feel than initial bite to avoid dipping the front too much with the longer travel suspension – but there’s plenty of power once you give it a squeeze.

It’s a very, very nice place to call home for a few hours. The seat seemed like it might be a bit firm at first but felt fine even after four hours in the saddle on my single longest day. As I said earlier, it’s a good thing – even more so for a fresh model.

All of my real niggles are on – or related to – the dash. Which shows just how good the rest of the bike is. The fuel gauge only shows increments below half which is puzzling, and the range meter can only be described as schizophrenic when it gets down to the business end of the tank. As in the bit where you need it to be reliable.

Examples? My last fuel stop is 45km from home. So I need at least 90 kays of range in it as I pass it each night. Several times I’d go past and it would say I still had 120km range. Then I’d be 15 minutes up the road and it would show 40km… Then the next morning it might show 40, then 20, 10, 0.. Then 20 again.. So it needs a bit of work. It needs a look at.

The final niggle is the system for switching modes and turning traction control on and off. And to be fair, KTM aren’t the only manufacturer doing this.

The trend of having multi-function buttons that you use to navigate through menus on the dash might be ok for more obscure setting changes and information, but it shouldn’t be used for ride mode or traction control.

Stick a dedicated button somewhere please that riders can press to activate and then press again to cycle through modes or toggle between on and off please.

Having to press two different buttons eight or more times (yes really), as well as rolling off the gas for three-seconds for traction control changes gets old pretty quickly when you’re transitioning from dirt to tarmac and back each ride and/or you feel like a bit of a play…

Once you do select off-road mode and disengage traction control though… It’s well worth it. The low seat height and ample mid-range make for great fun on a dirt road.

After spending some time on the Indian FTR 1200 S before this, which was a proper slide machine, I was in the mindset for skids… which the 790 Adventure is more than happy to oblige. That low seat height and clever weight distribution comes into its own once off tarmac and it’s a hoot. Mr Squiggle was out and about again.

Those dash related niggles aside, it’s a very impressive bike. Take my negative comments in the right context because they don’t impact the ride itself. I really do rate the 790 Adventure highly. So much so that the longer travel R version will absolutely be on the shortlist to replace my own Tiger 800 XC when the time comes.

Why I like the 790 Adventure:

Love the overall dimensions. Big enough to have plenty of room, small enough to still feel nimble – great manoeuvrability.
That 790 engine has some serious punch from midrange up.
Proper comfy for long hauls – and big range too.
The low seat height will appeal to a lot of riders and makes it super accessible.

I’d like it more if:

Eight or more button presses to change mode or disable TC? C’mon…
Give it the full welly tune of the 790 Duke while you’re at it.
The fuel range readings need a bit of a talking to.
I’d have to tick the Akro slip on option for more noise (but I say that for every bike).

2019 KTM 790 Adventure Specifications

ENGINE
Displacement	799 cm³
Power	70 kW
Torque	88 Nm
Engine Type	2-cylinder, 4-stroke, parallel twin
Bore	88 mm
Stroke	65.7 mm
Starter	Electric starter
Lubrication	Forced oil lubrication with 2 oil pumps
Transmission	6-speed
Cooling	Liquid cooled
Clutch	PASC antihopping clutch, mechanically operated
EMS	Bosch EMS with RBW
Co2 Emissions	98 g/km
Fuel Consumption	4.19 l/100 km
CHASSIS
Frame Design	Chromium-Molybdenum-Steel frame using the engine as stressed element, powder coated
Front Suspension	WP upside-down Ø 43 mm
Rear Suspension	WP monoshock
Suspension Travel F	200 mm
Suspension Travel R	200 mm
Front Brake	Dual radially mounted four-piston caliper
Rear Brake	Two-piston floating caliper
Front Brake Disc	320 mm (x 2)
Rear Brake Disc	260 mm
ABS	Bosch 9.1 MP (incl. Cornering-ABS and offroad mode, disengageable)
Chain	X-Ring 5/8 x 1/4″
DIMENSIONS
Steering Head Angle	64.1 °
Ground Clearance	233 mm
Seat Height	850 mm
Tank Capacity	20 l
Dry Weight	189 kg

Source: MCNews.com.au

Motorcycle News, News

2019 KTM 1290 Super Duke R Review | Motorcycle Test

November 22, 2019 mcnews Leave a comment

2019 KTM 1290 Super Duke R

Motorcycle Test By Wayne Vickers

I might be in a bit of strife. This is one of two bikes that I’ve lusted after over the past few years, and after riding it for a couple of weeks I like it a lot (incidentally the other is Yamaha’s thoroughbred R1 I recently sampled).

Actually… it’s more serious than that, I want to have its babies. I’m seriously starting to wonder if I can make room for another bike in my shed and scratch up the coin for one. It really is that good.

Settle down Wayno, let’s go through this bit by bit and tell the good people why it’s so damn good…

I’m a big fan of the styling to start with. It’s aggressive and purposeful without being too over the top. I even like the headlight treatment. In the metal it’s a nicely balanced design.

In the white colour scheme shown here, the orange paint on the trellis frame highlights this feature even more and accentuates the overall angular based look. Loads of nice details and angles to take in while you’re standing around thinking about your next ride…

Sitting on board is not actually what I thought it would be. I figured it would have a fairly aggressive riding position to match the styling, but it doesn’t. The 1290 Super Duke is actually quite upright and surprisingly natural.

A really comfortable position with a super comfortable seat – again, not what I expected. My buttometer approves. And that funky headlight is positioned nice and low so that its hidden from view completely, so you see nothing forward of the dash. It’s a very dirt bike-esque view which makes the bike feel shorter than it is.

There’s nothing in the way of showing off that engine. 1300ccs of thumping V-twin goodness. It’s actually the largest capacity V-twin I’ve ridden – and the most powerful.

175 horses and 140 Nm of torque, delivered with such little fuss that is frankly astonishing. No matter which way you slice it, that’s a whole lot of shove. Yet far from being a wild animal that needs containing, this thing can be ridden around town and cruised about on with ease.

And then the next minute you can go dial up warp power if you want to. That’s the genius of it to me. It’ll do whatever you want it to, and not break a sweat. Roll about on standard mode at low to mid revs and relish in the seamless torque. Or stick it in sports, turn off traction control and give it its head.

I didn’t ride the earlier models to qualify the ‘Beast’ moniker, but my old TL1000S took a shit-tonne more concentration compared to the big Super Duke. Just grip it and rip it.

Proper fast acceleration? You bet. Double tonne exiting high speed corners while pulling like a superbike. Ahuh. Fifth gear wheelies? No problem.

It’ll lift the front in third without the clutch if you want. It proper hauls. The more upright riding position and the fact that there’s no front screen to deflect the wind makes it feel fast too. That’s the bit I especially like.

On a fully faired race rep with your weight fully forward, you need to be doing double ton numbers to feel like you’re getting along at a decent pace. No so on this, which is a plus for me. A bit more wind and the need to hang on a lot more due to the more natural ride position makes it feel like you’re actually doing the speeds you’re doing.

There’s no doubt it’s electronically hobbled in the first few cogs, which some folks will sneer at and start babbling about the good old days of full analogue motors, but it makes it dead easy to ride around town.

It’s deceptively quick too as a result as you’re more likely to get on it harder with confidence. Fuelling is amazing. The engine doesn’t cough or hiccup ever down low like you’d expect a big powerful V-twin to do.

It does have a nice pop on the over-run when you get up it which adds to the drama. I love it. It’s worth noting that it doesn’t feel like a high comp – high power engine either. The revs fall back down slower than you’d expect from something that makes 180 ponies and it doesn’t have the ‘big twin’ compression off throttle that you’d expect.

So rolling off the gas and setting the bike up for a corner is a doddle. Even with the stock pipe and can it sounds tough too. With a proper open pipe they sound bonkers.

Surely it sucks the juice down? Range can’t be that great can it? Actually it’s pretty good. Over 350ks if you’re not being a complete lunatic. I could see 500 or 600 km days being pretty easy going on the 1290 Super Duke to be honest.

The box is awesome too. No quick-shifter, which was a bit of a surprise, but it’s not really needed. Excellent clean shifts, up and down even without the use of the slipper clutch. And that clutch has a nice progressive feel in the hand too. I found myself instinctively dragging a little clutch on hard down-changes, but that’s to make me feel comfortable. It doesn’t need it.

The 65 degrees steering head angle is steep enough, which I was reminded of when I dropped down the first particularly long wheelie and it gave a bit of a wriggle. Nothing too dramatic as it would have been tamed somewhat by the steering damper no doubt, but enough to make me take notice.

It only did it once – so I must have come down on a bump or a cats eye or something. That steering angle doesn’t translate to any nervousness on the go, but it does give it a nimbleness that belies the bike’s weight.

In fact, far from being just a wheelie bike, the big Super Duke loves the twisties. It feels just sublime on its side and is far more nimble than you might expect from a big 1300cc V-twin with an enormous crank. I reckon it’s just about the perfect modern road-sports bike chassis to be honest.

Now it’s obviously not as nimble as something like an R1. But it’s not as nervous either, or as much hard work. And way, way, way more comfortable. For eight or nine-tenths riding which is about the limit on the road – it’s bang on. You’d never out-run one in the twisties regardless of what you were on.

The brakes are great too. Dirty great big 320 mm Brembos that offer plenty of power and feel. They feel right on the money for the package which, by the way, comes in at a claimed 195 kilos dry. It washes off speed well – and the lean angle sensitive ABS throws some more confidence your way to drag the picks in a little deeper towards the apex.

All helped by some quality WP suspension at both ends. I had not even bothered too much with the dials on the fully adjustable 48mm forks (left fork is compression, right is rebound), or the shock, which has controls for rebound and both high and low speed compression. Out of the box it was near perfect for me.

Trev tells me that some fella by the name of Jezza McWilliams has final sign off on chassis set-up and suspension and traction control and stuff on most of the bike KTM road bike. He must know what he’s doing that bloke.

So styling, comfort, engine, brakes, chassis, suspension are all mega. There has to be something that could be improved?

Well the fuel range meter has the same issues that the 790 Adventure has. It’s a little all over the place when it gets down to the last tenth. I nearly ran out of fuel (it was coughing) on day five. So that’s not ideal.

The default dash display has room to show the remaining range but shows ambient temp instead. I don’t need to know that. I already know if its warm, cold, or bloody cold. Use that space to tell me something useful instead please.

And the TC and ABS sensors seem to throw a hissy fit during the aforementioned shenanigans. Almost every time I dropped the front wheel from a proper fifth gear wheelie – the dash lit up like a Christmas tree.

The sensors seemingly lose their shit as the front wheel speed increased by a whole lot in the space of a few metres… It didn’t affect the ride at all, and sorted itself out when I turned it off and on a few times to reset it. So…

The adult in me thought it was a bit annoying. But the child in me started seeing it as a goal to be achieved each ride. Akin to an achievement award from KTM. The child in me generally wins, but I reckon a software update could be in order.

Final thoughts? I think you get the gist by now. This is probably the nicest modern sports bike I’ve ridden. Engine is epic. Handling is damn near perfect for road charging. And if wheelies are your thing, just get one already. Like I said earlier, I’m in trouble. I have a new benchmark.

If anyone has tips on how to convince the missus that a third bike in the shed is a really good idea then please let me know. As soon as possible.

Why I like the 1290 Super Duke R:

Far more comfortable than I figured it would be.
That big donk is biblically good.
As is the chassis and suspension.
Brings out the inner hooligan.
Third gear clutchless wheelies…

I’d like it more if:

The fuel range meter was trustworthy
The dash didnt lose its shit on mega wheelies
It was in my shed
Umm???

2019 KTM 1290 Super Duke R Specifications

ENGINE
Displacement	1301.00 ccm (79.39 cubic inches)
Engine type	Liquid-cooled, 75° V2, four-stroke, four-valve
Power	177.00 HP (129.2 kW)
Bore x stroke	108.0 x 71.0 mm
Fuel system	Injection
Fuel control	Double Overhead Cams/Twin Cam (DOHC)
Ignition	Keihin EMS with RBW, twin ignition
Lubrication system	Forced oil lubrication with 3 pumps
Gearbox	6-speed
Final drive	Chain
Clutch	PASC slipper clutch, hydraulically actuated
CHASSIS
Frame	Chromium-Molybdenum steel trellis frame, powder coated
Suspension F	WP USD Ø 48 mm
Front wheel travel	125 mm
Suspension R	WP Monoshock
Rear wheel travel	156 mm
Front brakes	Dual radial mount four-piston calipers, ABS
Front rotors	Dual 320 mm
Rear caliper	Two-piston caliper, ABS
Rear rotor	240 mm
Wheels	Metzeler M7RR tires
DIMENSIONS
Dry weight	195 kg
Power/weight ratio	0.9077 HP/kg
Seat height	835 mm
Ground clearance	141 mm
Wheelbase	1482 mm
Fuel capacity	18 litres

Source: MCNews.com.au

Motorcycle News, News

BMW R 1250 R and R 1250 RS Reviewed | Motorcycle Tests

October 31, 2019 mcnews Leave a comment

BMW R 1250 RS Review
BMW R 1250 R Review

Motorcycles Tested By Trevor Hedge
Images by BMW and TH

In the almost 100-year lineage of BMW motorcycles, nothing underlines the brand as well as the Boxer engine. Right from the start, this somewhat ungainly flat-twin design, born from industrial roots as a portable power-plant, has been the foundation of almost every significant generation of BMW motorcycle.

BMW Engine Type 255 Kompressor was a supercharged version of the Boxer from the 1930s that powered Georg Meier to victory at the Isle of Man TT in 1939 – While BMW now race four-cylinder machines, it is the Boxer that is the quintessential BMW engine, and to some people the ‘only’ engine!

As engine design has moved with the times we have gone to four-valves in the ‘Oil-Head’ generation of the 90s, to the ‘Hex-Head’ counter-balanced iteration launched in 2004. Twin-cams came to the Boxer in 2009 and with it the pinnacle of the final oil-head generation in the delectable 128-horsepower HP2 Sport. 2012 saw the debut of the new 1170cc water-cooled generation and this year has seen the introduction of a relatively simple form of variable valve timing, ‘ShiftCam’. Increases in both bore and stroke sees the Boxer now displacing 1254 cc.

BMW RR ShiftCam — 2019 BMW R 1250 R with ShiftCam

Of course more than a few of these changes have been effectively forced on BMW by ever tightening emissions regulations, this latest generation Boxer is ready for Euro5 and beyond. Some decry these restrictions, but effectively it has forced motorcycle manufacturers to increase the frequency of their engine development cycles and us riders are the winners. We generally get more power, more torque, smoother running and better fuel economy. If only noise wasn’t part of the restrictions then we would really be winners from every angle!

Generally it is the GS side of the BMW range that seems to get all the attention. That makes sense I guess as the Gelände/Straße is their biggest seller globally by a handsome margin. It is easy to forget that the Boxer can also be had in more tarmac focussed models such as the luxury R 1250 RT touring machine, the sports-touring R 1250 RS and the naked R 1250 R.

BMW Motorrad Australia recently staged a two-day strop in Queensland to showcase the charms of the new ShiftCam equipped R 1250 R and RS. Plying me with motorcycles and sunshine by day, washed down with beer and wine of an evening. How thou suffer for my art…

I had been intrigued to see if I could feel the transition between the different camshaft lobes but to be honest, I couldn’t. The system sounds really complicated but in reality it is pretty damn simple. A servo motor simply slides the inlet camshaft along from one lobe, designed for low-end torque, smooth low speed running and reduced emissions, to another lobe that has a higher ramp rate along with more valve lift and duration. Best of both worlds. The real magic is in the trickery that makes this transition imperceptible.

BMW ShiftCam Explained

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BMW have done a better job of it than I thought possible and the Boxer charges harder up top than ever before, 136 horsepower at 7750 rpm and 143 Nm of torque at 6250 rpm. That is 10 per cent more twist than the 1262 cc Ducati Testastretta donk that also boasts variable valve timing.

But the BMW is deceptive, and never really feels ‘that’ strong up top. That’s pretty common in these days of fly-by-wire throttles that seem to hide a few of the horses somewhere, simply due to the smoothness of the power delivery. Still, to my mind the biggest benefits from the new engine are found in the basement.

BMW RGS RT Technical Head — New 1254cc BMW ShiftCam Boxer

The Boxer has always had pretty sizeable balls, but they were a bit fluffy off the bottom. The ShiftCam power-plant is not only better endowed, but has more urgency right from the first stroke, before thrusting stronger and lasting longer right past the 7750 rpm climax and up into the 9000 rpm red-zone.

The accompanying dyno chart seems to show it shifting lobes around 5000 rpm, but it is not a static pre-determined transition point on the road. ShiftCam transition takes place somewhere between 4500 and 5600 rpm, depending on throttle opening, gear selection and a few other parameters.

BMW ShiftCam Dyno Chart

BMW R Dyno — ShiftCam Boxer Engine on the dyno

The more impressive top end power does show itself in the upper gears, when really dialling it on exiting fast sweeping bends. The stronger top end also makes holding gears longer more enjoyable than before. But I still say that the new engine is most impressive in the way it fuels so beautifully off the bottom. I have always quite liked the bottom end of the Boxers over the past decade or so, but now the shudder is gone, the fluffy throttle response is no more and the engine feels so much more potent and responsive to throttle openings at low RPM.

And to be honest, in the real world that is where you are going to spend most of your time, short-shifting. Especially if your bike has the optional Gear Shift Assist Pro. If you wanted to be spending all your time higher up in the rev range then you would be better off with Motorrad’s S 1000 R or S 1000 XR four-cylinder machines rather than the Boxer twins.

Both the R 1250 R and 1250 RS get the impressive 6.5-inch full colour TFT instrumentation, complete with the Bluetooth functionality that is slowly filtering down to the entire BMW range.

Bluetooth pairing to your phone allows for simple navigation prompts to be displayed on the screen along with your current music selections, which can then be navigated through via the intuitive BMW Multi-Controller wheel on the left bar. It’s a great system, but not quite up to the outright brilliance of the Apple Car Play style functionality which has now started to appear on a few motorcycles. Forgive the quality of the image below, but I thought it more important to show the system out in real world use, complete with dust, than use a brochure style image.

BMW TFT Music — Music from my phone displayed on the TFT screen and able to be controlled from the left bar. The music is sent from my phone to the BMW which then relays it through the integrated Sena headset built into my Shoei GT-Air II.

The R model I rode had the optional Riding Mode Pro that includes yet another lay-out for the instrumentation that I quite liked. Along with a more conventional tachometer presentation it also displays lean angle measurements, levels of traction control intervention and maximum braking pressure for that particular ride. The inside areas of the bar charts show the readings in almost real time as you ride, the outside values are your maximums during that entire ride. 47-degrees was 10 less than I have registered at the track on an S 1000 RR, but I did manage to max out the traction control table by pulling a few skids on the dirt. Small things, small minds and all that.

BMW TFT Sport Levels — Machines equipped with Riding Mode Pro get this extra display option which also registers lean angle, traction control intervention and brake pressure levels, like the S 1000 RR sportsbike.

Less than perfect road surfaces and Michelin Pilot Road 4 rubber though were not a good enough combination to max out the brake pressure readings before ABS intervention cut in thus I failed to clock the game on that score. The brakes themselves are radially mounted Brembo four-piston calipers gripping 320mm disc rotors up front. A twin-piston caliper clamps a similarly generously sized 276 mm rotor at the rear. BMW do brakes very well indeed, there is nothing to complain about here and the lean-angle sensitive ABS is tuned nicely. Bumpy roads and touring rubber are always going to provide the limits of braking performance, not the stoppers themselves.

The accompanying BMW App has plenty of functionality and is the best proprietary phone app I have yet sampled. These are screenshots from my phone that I paired with the machines I rode on the launch, to give you a brief example of the functionality. Even pre-planned GPX files can be entered into the app, although I didn’t get quite that far into it during my time with the bikes.

BMW TFT App — These screenshots from my phone show three different pages from the app in each of these images for a total of six shown here.

While the R and RS follow Boxer traditions in regards to engine configuration and single-sided Paralever shaft drive syste, they eschew the BMW Duolever or Telelever front ends in favour of a conventional set of inverted cartridge forks, adjustable for both pre-load and rebound damping.

BMW RR Front — BMW R 1250 R has the pronounced Boxer stance

The latest generation dynamic electronic suspension adjustment (ESA) system can be had as part of the ‘Touring Package’ and as it says on the box, the system provides adjustments at the touch of a button or automatically on the fly. It does a great job of isolating the rider from any kidney punches as they start to happen, responding in milliseconds to any big hits. When you want maximum comfort then just soften things up and enjoy the magic carpet ride. Ride height is also automatically adjusted as the machine senses the onboard load and sets itself up to suit, no intervention from rider required. Mint.

The steering head angle is identical between the bikes but the R 1250 R runs 15m more trail and a 15mm shorter wheelbase. The actual numbers are a 62-3-degree steering head angle for both, 126.6 mm of castor on the R versus 110.8 mm on the RS. Adding further confusion though is that BMW seemed to have their own system of arriving at their numbers compared to every other motorcycle manufacturer, so don’t get too lost in the digits.

On the road the difference is quite telling though as I find the R turns quite sweetly and holds a line well, while the RS steers a little lazily in comparison.

Different seating and bar positions also play their part but I felt as though I wanted to be more forward on the RS, when it came time to attack a set of bends with vigour. If you had a non ESA equipped RS it would be an interesting experiment to drop the forks through the triple clamps 10mm further, in order to see if that sharpened the steering enough to be worth bothering about. Can’t imagine that’s possible with an ESA equipped bike though… But both bikes have oodles of stability to spare and are also fitted with steering dampers.

For the record, I still think the Duolever equipped K 1300 R is the best front end for the road ever to grace a BMW motorcycle.

The touring part of the equation is well taken care of on both machines due to amenable riding positions and the fact that vibes are almost non existent in regular riding scenarios. The seats on both the R and RS are well sculpted and provide great support. The standard perches are 820 mm from terra firma, but options exist to push that down to a remarkably low 760 mm.

According to BMW, both bikes tip the scales around 240 kilograms, which makes them sound like right porkers. But all the weight is down low, thanks to the Boxer layout, and they really do feel as though they are a good 30 kg lighter than those figures suggest. Seriously, there is no way I would have picked them as being that heavy, as they actually feel relatively light.

As we have come to expect from BMW, the option lists are endless… BMW Australia have tried to make this easier in recent years by only bringing in fairly high-spec’ base machines, and then collating separate option packages that cater to different tastes. The good news for the R and RS is that all Australian delivered machines come with the ‘Comfort Package’ which includes heated grips, tyre pressure monitoring and a chrome exhaust.

BMW RR Low Rear — BMW R 1250 R and R 1250 RS in Australia come standard with chrome exhast, tyre pressure monitoring and heated grips.

The optional ‘Touring Package’ adds Dynamic ESA, Keyless Ride, Cruise Control, Pannier mounts, luggage grid and a centre-stand. Navigation preparation for the Garmin supplied BMW Navigator is also included, but with the bluetooth functionality of the dash providing navigation prompts, and the problems with the latest generation Navigator, I can’t really see the point. Without the optional Navigator unit mounted the cradle, it is pretty bloody ugly with the mount just hanging in the breeze right in the riders eye-line. I would remove it.

BMW RR Rear — BMW R 1250 R – Navigator is mounted in this shot

The ‘Dynamic Package’ then adds Gear Shift Assist Pro, Riding Mode Pro, Daytime Riding Lights and white LED indicators. Riding Mode Pro enables a rider to more specifically tailor the bike set-up to suit themselves, and also scores that extra tasty instrumentation mode. Gear-Shfit Assist Pro pretty much means you can forget to use the clutch for 80 per cent of your riding. The gearbox also works well without it, and is so much smoother than BMW gearboxes of old. Likewise any jacking reaction from the drive-shaft under acceleration is long dead and buried in the dustbin of history.

As you would expect, BMW Integral ABS and traction control systems are standard across all models, even in base specification, as are two riding modes. Hill Start Control is an unexpected addition to the standard specification though, and automatically applies the brakes for hill starts. That’s something that might come in very handy if fully loaded or riding two-up.

The naked R 1250 R is, predictably, slightly cheaper than the RS with a base entry price of $21,265, compared to a $22,565 starting point for the R. Add a couple of grand to each of those pricing labels by the time you ride it out of the showroom though.

By the time you get up to the Sport, Exclusive or Spezial variants of the machines, the ride away prices start to nudge their way towards 30 grand. However, you are getting a whole lot of motorcycle with pretty much every bit of top-end tech available in motorcycling. And compared to what you pay for an American cruiser….

You also have a motorcycle ready to tour Australia in comfort, particularly in RS guise thanks to its extra protection from wind-blast. Both have shaft drive and every rider aid known to man while retaining a light enough feel and agility that belies the scales.

Both are capable of carrying two people in comfort complete with panniers loaded. A lot of motorcycles that claim to have touring credentials have poor carrying capacities, sometimes being officially rated for payloads under 180kg. That is a couple of average Aussie humans dressed in riding gear and boots, before they even put an empty pannier on the bike…. The R and RS Boxer duo are rated for 220 kg payloads and really give the impression of sturdiness in their very business-like Germanic way of going about business. As though you could ride them into a brick wall, pick them up, dust them off, and continue on your way.

Another ace up the sleeve of the BMW machines is their now industry leading standard three-year warranty, which can be extended further, for a price. If maintenance costs are your worry there also pre-paid service packages that can cover you for the first three years and 30,000 kilometres, or five years and 50,000 kilometres, to add a little extra peace of mind. I think this is a great approach by BMW and the longer standard warranty period is a massive boon for the customer. However, I do think the kilometre limits on the servicing packages are a little stingy.

I prefer the sweeter steering of the R, and if choosing a bike for shorter hops and back-roads brawling then it would be my pick of the two. However, if doing a lot of long haul riding in all weather, then the extra practicality of the faired RS would win the day. Both though have extensive integrated luggage systems and when optioned up as such can carry as much luggage as full dress touring bikes.

BMW R 1250 R Test — They both pull wheelies 🙂

Either of them would make a fantastic daily commuter to work, while then offering enough performance and versatility to go for mountain strops on the weekend, or even a full loop around Australia if you are lucky enough to break away from the grind for that long!

To many, unless its a Boxer, it’s not a ‘real’ BMW… And this is by far the best iteration of the Boxer yet.

BMW R 1250 R and R 1250 RS Specifications

Source: MCNews.com.au

Motorcycle News, News

2019 Indian FTR 1200 S | Motorcycle Review

October 16, 2019 mcnews Leave a comment

Indian FTR 1200 S Review

Motorcycle Test by Wayne Vickers

I didn’t really know what to expect with this one. It’s been nearly 20 years since I rode a ‘Murican bike. And I’m pleased to say the Indian is nothing like the ultra-wide-fat-bob-shovel thing that I thought belonged in a bin all those years ago. Polishing chrome is not my thing. Bikes are to be ridden.

I’ve been a fan of the dirt track styling and history behind the Indian ever since it resurfaced. The FTR 1200 S has genuine brand pedigree born from the 750 flat tracker it looks so much like – and it does feel authentic.

Indian FTR S Indian Store Melbourne — Indian Motorcycles Melbourne

Speaking of brand – the showroom in Melbourne is a nice place to spend some time. Awesome fit-out, nice exposed brick, lots of character and jam packed with stacks of top looking bikes and friendly staff. It’s not a sterile surgical showroom as others can be. I dig it. Take your favourite caffeinated beverage along and soak up some joy.

So – the Indian FTR 1200 S. ‘Get some photos before you get it dirty’ said Trev. ‘Hey whaddya take me fo.. Oh yeah, fair enough’. So I dutifully got some morning shots just a few hundred metres up the road on the edge of the National Park.

Then decided it was such a nice morning I might just trundle up a little further to see if I could find another good spot for some more shots. Next minute I’m ripping skids down local tracks getting my King Kenny on. Its that kinda bike.

As far as doing what it says on the box, this is a fun time waiting to be had. Its nice and low, has big, wide Pro Taper bars and plenty of steering lock to keep things pointing where you want them. And yes I had to wash it again straight away when I got home… and I was still smiling.

Indian FTR S p — The FTR 1200 S features wide Pro Taper bars

The dirt track style translates well when you’re back on sealed roads too. I’ve decided it has a bit of a Jeckyl & Hyde personality actually. Happy as a pig in it to lope along, completely unfussed, enjoying the scenery, but at the twist of the mitt there’s a whole world of shove and its party time.

When you want it to, that cruisey little porker is ready to bolt. The little piggy reference seems apt actually. I remember being told once that pigs are the fastest accelerating animal in terms of standstill to flat-out in two strides (I have no idea if that’s true by-the-way but it seems plausible – anyone?) and the FTR will go from cruisey to full noise in a heartbeat. Or two crank revolutions. Whichever is quicker.

You never really forget the fact that you’re sitting on two dirty big slugs and a giant crank. It’s the heart and soul of the bike in every way. From 3500rpm there’s major, instant mumbo. Grunt peaks at 6000rpm with a healthy 120Nm, and holds nicely right up until the redline arrives at 8000rpm. There’s no drop off at higher revs either – a really nice power curve. A touch over 120-odd horsepower. That’ll do.

Indian FTR S d — 1203cc V-twin, 120 horsepower at 8250rpm and 85 foot-pounds of torque at 6000rpm

That heavy crank makes it practically un-stallable on the go. It was actually idling itself up fairly steep hills in first gear as I was mucking about exploring the local National Park trails on it. Traction control works nicely in the dirt too for something with so much roosting ability on tap.

The clutch is nice and light – almost ridiculously so. And the box is a joy to use. Relatively short throw, buttery smooth – but firm shifts. It can get a bit caught up in itself on deceleration, and the transition back onto the throttle could use a bit of tweaking, but it’s nothing dramatic. It’s just a big grunty twin and needs to be ridden as such.

It comes with four ride modes: Rain, Standard, Sport and Track (only track lets you turn TC and ABS off). These modes are selected via the dash – either through a multi-control button on the left stalk or via the screen itself – as its a touch screen. Yep, touch screen dashes are a thing. I’ll come back to the dash in a sec.

I found the standard mode to be spot on for everyday riding and commuting. Fuelling is nice, it suits the cruisy nature of the Jeckyl side of its personality, I didn’t actually rate the sport mode all that much, fuelling felt a little more nervous with not enough gain for me – it felt a little too prone to surging.

Could be that the FTR 1200 S I was riding was apparently still running a US fuel map, but it didn’t gel with me. Track mode on the other hand was ace. It didn’t seem prone to surging at all, and with the electronic fun stoppers turned off you were able to let the inner hooligan Hyde come out and play.

The front comes up at a whim, worth noting that the big crank requires a bit of practice to find the right amount of input for someone like me who doesn’t use the rear brake when lofting it up – and it will seriously drift for days on the dirt.

Many long, lurid, silly grin-inducing slides were laid down. With so much torque, you can be almost walking along in say… third gear, wind the throttle open and the lock on, weaving from one side of the track to the other for a couple of hundred metres at a time… All in the name of research. It’s a tough gig.

Like hell it is.

That dash I mentioned – has two displays that you can choose from that you can change at the swipe of your finger. I found the overall dash design and controls a little wanting but that’s the sort of stuff I do in my other life when I’m not writing about bikes, so I’m particularly anal there.

Indian FTR S Dash — A touch screen TFT display is featured with different display options

If you use the buttons to change modes (as opposed to the touch screen) it takes more than half a dozen interactions to change from standard to track and turn the traction control off. On the go, thats too many things to do and takes your attention away from the road for too long. Stick a button up on the right stalk to cycle through modes please. Given that you have to close the throttle to activate the new mode anyway… You know it makes sense.

The dash also includes a compass… because… Actually I dunno. And like too many manufacturers the distance to empty meter changes from a useful number, to ‘LOW’. Which helps no one in the real world. So there’s some work to do there, but nothing that’s particularly concerning.

It does take a while to cycle through to being ‘ready’ on first start, but I was told to let it warm up to 60 degrees before getting moving anyway due to the US fuelling map. Good thing too. That map didn’t like the cold much and would stall a handful of times until it was up to temp. I did have some particularly cold nights that week (got down to three-degrees twice), and there were no such issues once up to temp.

Other FTR 1200 S niggles? It doesn’t have a lot of range. I was having to fill up at about 200 kays. Which meant twice for me on some days commuting. And the fueling up process got old pretty quickly. The fuel tank actually sits under the seat (that’s actually the airbox sitting under what looks like a tank), and so the filler tube angles back and curls under the seat.

The result of that is that there’s not a lot of return breathing for the fuel as it goes in. So it’s a slow process as it gets towards the top. I struggled to know for sure where the ‘top’ was.. As the sticker said not to fill it up into the neck.. You’d fill it up, it’d bubble back down. Fill it up some more.. Rinse and repeat.

I found myself putting about 12 litres in after those 200 kays, but was never too sure how much was left or how full I was filling it. Takes 12.9 litres to fill apparently, so I couldn’t have been far away from empty… No doubt if you owned it, you’d figure that stuff out with a bit of time. But definitely worth mentioning. Put a couple of return breather hoses in there please folks. And another litre or two fuel capacity would be nice.

Even though the bars are wide, there’s still plenty of weight to the steering – it’s surprisingly meaty, and plenty accurate too. The seating position is upright, and the seat is firm but comfortable. That seat isn’t actually the shape it looks like either… that’s a cunning ruse.

The curve behind where the rider sits is more pronounced than the seat covering suggests – as the cover actually hovers above the ‘real’ seat cushioning by an inch or so. So it forms a much firmer more upright ‘back’. It’s still comfortable mind you – and certainly helps stop you sliding about when you crack the gas. I wonder how that covering will wear, being stretched like that? Time will tell. There’s no doubt it’s a nice shape.

That low overall seating position on the FTR 1200 S also necessitates a modest travel suspension setup – 150 mm at both ends. While it’s no long travel setup – it’s fine for tarmac or smooth dirt roads, I didnt need to even touch the clickers on this one.

Just don’t expect it to cope with gnarly potholes or corrugations at speed all that well… Having said that, I rode it up some access tracks in the bush while exploring, that I had no real right to be riding up. Got to the point where it was seriously dirtbike only stuff, so I turned around and found my way back. Another excuse to do more skids!

The FTR 1200 S brakes are fine. I’d probably have preferred a little more power from the front, but for something that’s designed to play in the dirt a little it’s probably about right. I found that the lever came in quite a way after a few days mucking about on it. I reckon that’s just a new bike needing a bleed after its first few rides though. Again, nothing major, but worth mentioning.

Elsewhere on the bike there are plenty of nice design details, paint and fit and finish is excellent. The more you look the more there is to like. Little touches here and there have been well considered and executed. Even the footpegs look cool. I like its quirkiness.

Plenty of branding in place. In the headlight and taillight, and both sides of the engine. And there’s no doubt that from just forward of side profile it cuts a fine pose.

One of my neighbours has recently picked up a Kato dirt bike. He occasionally wheelies past my front door and I give him a wave and a smile, I kindly return the gesture by ripping skids at his letterbox. After a week on the FTR it looks like Mr Squiggle has been delivering his mail…

I like the FTR 1200 S. I like the styling of the other Indians too while I’m at it. Yes there are things I’d want to change, but the guts of this bike have a real appeal – the Jeckle and Hyde thing tickles my fancy.

With that said, my personal commute is pretty extreme and the miles I ride don’t really lend themselves to the range the FTR 1200 S gets. But.. I liked my week or so on this one. At 25 grand or thereabouts for the top of the range model it’s not cheap. And it won’t be everyone’s cup of tea. But for me that adds to the appeal as well.

Why I like the FTR 1200 S:

Looks tops. I love the styling and finish.
Big grunt on tap. Everywhere.
Rips skids for days.
Riding position is great.
Split personality. Happy to cruise along, yet…massively hooligan friendly.
Skids are good eh.

Indian FTR S Rally Replica Trev — Trev testing the Indian FTR 1200 S Rally Replica earlier in the year

I’d like it more if:

Not a bad exhaust note, but I’d have to go the Akro’s.
Could do with a bit more range… and that tank filling process is a bit painful.
Dash takes a while to boot up… and could do with a redesign.
I’m assuming the AU fuel map fixes the propensity to stall while it’s still warming up.

Source: MCNews.com.au

MotorCycle News

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