Ducati boss Claudio Domenicali rides a Hypermotard converted to electric power with a Zero FX powertrain and recently said the company is about to join the electric bike race.
At a recent student event in Spain he told the crowd: “The future is electric, we’re not far from starting series production.”
It’s no news that Ducati has been considering an electric model since about 2017 when a Ducati executive revealed they had electric plans for a motorcycle and a scooter by 2021.
In the same year, VW Group Chairman Matthias Mueller upped the ante saying Ducati would have an electric motorcycle “by 2020”.
Moto Guzzi has released the tech specs the 58kW V85 TT that arrives here in June in two models with a choice of two colours, initially.
Base-model single-colour “Grigio (grey) Atacama” (pictured above) will cost $18,890 (plus on-road costs) while the Enduro Premium (below) with multi-colour “Giallo (yellow) Sahara” paint costs $19,590.
Moto Guzzi Australia says these prices are “tentative” so we guess they could change with final specification or currency exchange rates.
Pricing compares with the following European scramblers and adventure bikes: Ducati Multistrada 950 ($18,390); Scramblers ($15,499-$17,290); BMW R nineT GS and Scrambler ($17,690-$18,750), F 850 ($17,990-$22,305); KTM 1090 Adventure R ($19,995); and Triumph Tiger 800 ($15,590-$18,350), Street Scrambler ($15,900).
Colour choice may also be expanded down the track.
The Enduro Premium model comes with a red painted frame, double-coated components, tri-colour fork protectors and a Skai (perforeted suede look) saddle with the Moto Guzzi logo double stitched in grey thread.
Moto Guzzi Australia is already taking orders and say they are being “quickly snapped by customers”.
Tech specs have now also been released. See the end of this article for the full tech specs.
In summary, it has 85kW of power, 80Nm of torque, a high 830mm seat and weighs 229kg with 90% fuel in the 21-litre tank.
TT by name
TT stands for “tutto terreno” (all terrain in Italian), so it features several all-terrain features.
They include a high beak, high exhaust pipe, twin headlights, wired wheels, handguards, tubular steel frame, bash plate, high clearance and 1980s motorsport colour scheme.
We’re not really sure if it’s a scrambler or an adventure bike. Maybe it’s a new niche in between the two.
V85 TT features a unique asymmetric swingarm housing the shaft drive.
We believe theEnduro Premium will have an Ohlins mono shock and forks.
V85 TT should capably plug the gap left by the Stelvio which was shelved because the engine could not meet the new emissions standards.
V85 TT in the Moto Guzzi wind tunnel at Mandello del Lario
Our only concern about this beautiful adventure bike is that it is too pretty for off-road use.
What happens if you drop it as many adventure riders do?
Like a BMW R 1200 GS (and now 1250), it will need substantial protection for those heads, for a start.
Clever instruments
The full colour, fully digital TFT screen has a host of information.
The two-helmet symbol at the top indicates electronic preload adjustment while the menu is expected to display various engine modes and possibly traction control settings.
A phone icon suggests it has Piaggio’s new connectivity app available for Android and iOS phones.
It allows the owner to ping their bike and locate it in a parking lot. It also has a panic alert system, which connects you with the pre-designated contacts in case of an emergency.
The app reminds the rider of a pending service, helps owners locate the nearest service stations and includes a customer care service.
This system was developed with German component manufacturer Hella. and is available on Piaggio scooters and Aprilia motorcycles.
It can be retrofitted through official service centres.
The bike is a tribute to the Moto Guzzis that competed in African rally raids and the Dakar rally in the 1908s.
Moto Guzzi boasts of a “solid off-road tradition” extending back to the Six Day Reliability Trial in Austria 1939 where Moto Guzzi participated with the GT 20 and went on to win four gold medals.
The Italian manufacturer tackled the Paris-Dakar rally in 1985 with the V65 Baja and the following year with the V75 Baja.
Moto Guzzi V85 TT tech specs
V85 TT
Engine: Transverse 90°, 853cc V twin, 2 valves per cylinder
Bore and stroke: 84 x 77mm
Compression: 10.5:1
Power: 59kW (80hp) @ 7750rpm
Torque: 80Nm @ 5000rpm
Fuel: 21 litres (including 5L res)
Economy: 4.9L/100km
CO2: 118g/km
Transmission: dry clutch, 6-speed
Frame: tubular steel
Seat: 830mm
Dry weight: 208kg
Wet weight: 229kg
Suspension: 41mm hydraulic telescopic USD fork, with adjustable spring preload and hydraulic rebound; double-sided swingarm in box-type aluminium, single shock, adjustable spring preload and hydraulic rebound, 170mm travel
Brakes: 320mm twin floating discs, Brembo radial-mounted callipers with 4 pistons; 260mm steel disc, floating calliper with 2 pistons
The world’s fastest electric motorcycle, the 351km/h Lightning LS-218, will soon have a mass-market brother called the Strike that beats Harley-Davidson’s LiveWire electric.
A teaser photograph of the Strike above) shows a Ducati-esque set of headlights.
It will start at $US12,998 (about $A18,000) when it is released in March, compared with the LS-218 at $US38,888 (about $A51,150).
That’s even cheaper than the Zero SR at $US16,495 (about $A23,000).
When the company pulled the plug on importing to Australia in 2017 their prices ranged from $18,000 to $25,000 on the road.
When it comes to tech specs, the Strike is also a lot more electric bike than the LiveWire.
Harley promises just 177km of range, a top seed of 190km/h and 0-100km/h in “under 3.5 seconds”.
In its photographic teaser of the Strike’s headlights, Lightning Motorcycles claim the bike will have 150 miles of range (about 240km) and a top speed of 150mph (240km/h).
Lightning Motorcycles say the Strike will charge in just 35 minutes on a DC fast charger.
Lightning Motorcycles does not yet import to Australia and is a small-scale company.
However, its price and tech specs should cause concern to both electric newcomer Harley-Davidson and the world’s biggest electric bike company, Zero Motorcycles.
A Honda Neowing leaning three-wheeler looks likely to be coming soon, possibly as a replacement for the ageing Goldwing.
Honda has now applied for a patent for the power steering of its Neowing leaning three-wheel concept (pictured above) unveiled at the 2015 Tokyo Motor Show.
If it does go into production, Honda would be following the bike tracks of the Yamaha Niken leaning three-wheeler.
And why not? The Niken has scored some sales success in Europe.
Leaning three-wheeler scooters have been around for about a decade, but Yamaha is the first with a big-capacity three-wheeler.
Yamaha Niken
We’ve ridden several leaning three-wheel scooters and they are great fun.
The advantages are more front-end grip, better handling and increased braking performance.
However, the disadvantages are extra weight and price.
The Niken is based on the triple-cylinder MT-09 which sells for $12,299 (plus on-road costs) up to $15,499 for the Tracer model and $16,999 for the Tracer GT.
Niken starts at $21,999 with a GT model coming in March 2019. That’s about a third more expensive!
Niken
Powerful Neowing
While Yamaha’s three-wheeler is powered by an 847cc triple, Honda’s Neowing could be a lot more powerful.
The concept featured a four-cylinder horizontally-opposed engine with electric motors in each wheel.
However, the patent drawings for the electric power steering do not show the engine, only the complex steering system.
Neowing patent drawings (Image: Morebikes.co.uk)
They also don’t show any electric motors in the front wheels.
But it would need to be powered by a hefty engine to cope with the extra weight and power requirements of the steering system.
Yamaha’s Niken is marketed as a sport tourer.
The Neowing could be more of a tourer, perhaps to take over from the ageing Goldwing with its six-cylinder boxer powerplant.
Some might say these leaning three-wheelers are not strictly motorcycles.
But if they provide the same thrill as a motorcycle, yet with more grip, then who cares!
Aussies love a good motorcycle tour so it’s no wonder the Harley-Davidson Street Glide Special is our top-selling tourer.
I’ve been riding one for the past month in South East Queensland. In that time, I’ve done all sorts of riding from short trips to the shops just 800m away to riding several hundred kilometres across bumpy backroads and gravel.
This is no adventure tourer, but it is quite surprising how well this bike will tour in varied conditions.
And at the end of the day, I can get off feeling fresh, thanks to the comfortable ergonomics and that deep-dish saddle.
So I have now compiled five top reasons to try the Street Glide Special.
1 Milwaukee Eight engine
Ever since Harley introduced the Milwaukee Eight engine a couple of years ago, I’ve been a big fan.
The Touring range for 2019 now all come with the 114 cubic-inch Milwaukee Eight engine with a whopping 163Nm of torque.
No initial thump on start-up, more torque than a truck and quite smooth for a big V-twin.
Together with the finessed transmission with a new slipper clutch (Drag-torque Slip Control System), it’s Harley’s most sophisticated drivetrain yet.
2 Infotainment
Tourers love plenty of tech and entertainment to soothe away the long, boring highway miles.
The 2019 Touring modelsnow get the new BOOM! Box GTS infotainment system with extra functionality.
It has a TFT display with edge-to-edge Gorilla Glass designed to minimise reflection and optimised for touch sensitivity even with gloves and in the wet.
You can also control it all from the handlebar toggle switches.
By the way, you can also pay an extra $300 (approx) to fit a wireless interface module installed which that adds Apple CarPlay compatibility.
It basically makes many of your iPhone apps available on the screen.
You can also use Siri to tell the system what to do. No need to use your hands at all!
Not that Siri would have reacted to any of my “colourful” verbal commands as I steered the Street Glide Special through the maelstrom around me.
3 Back in black
Black never went away, but the blacked-out Special models give the bikes a new menacing stance on the road.
There is hardly any chrome on the bike.
It’s black around the headlight, engine guard, forks, handlebars, controls, mirrors, indicators, tank console, engine covers, air cleaner cover, mufflers and exhaust shields.
4 Top suspenders
It doesn’t glide along the road, it carves its way through the road and startle many riders on smaller and more nimble bikes.
I rode it over several tight and twisty mountain passes and kept pace with many other riders on sportier machinery.
The suspension upgrades include Showa Dual-Bending Valve forks with bigger pistons for improved damping.
It makes the front end more compliant, taking away that jackhammer affect through the grips, yet retaining a sharp and light steering feel.
It’s a big and heavy touring bike, but it still has the ability to change direction in a corner without upsetting the ship.
At the back, Harley has moved from air shocks to emulsion shocks with 15-30% more preload adjustment using a single hand-adjustable knob behind the left pannier.
5 Cooler ride
Despite riding a big, faired cruiser in Queensland’s summer heat, the new Street Glide Special is a whole lot cooler these days.
Harley has advanced the ignition, dropped the rear header down from the exhaust port and moved the catalytic converter rearwards.
This makes it cooler for the rider.
However, it still gets hot in slow traffic and your pillion’s right leg cops a lot of the hot air that has been moved backwards.
Harley-Davdison FLHXS Street Glide Special tech specs
There are no details further available from Indian Motorcycle, so we can only speculate about the new models.
Renegade name
A Renegade is “a person who deserts and betrays an organisation, country, or set of principles”, so it could be a whole new model.
Jeep has a Renegade model, so maybe the Indian Renegade will have similar all-road capabilities like a trendy scrambler.
Or perhaps it’s a smaller capacity bike for young rebels.
That would fit into our Learner-Approved Motorcycle Scheme (LAMS) and be a huge leg up for Indian Motorcycle Australia as the learner sector continues to thrive in a slow market.
However, they already have the base model, S and S Race-Replica.
This week Indian Motorcycle announced a $1000 increase in price on the S race replica which now includes the titanium Akrapovic exhaust as standard.
FTR 1200 S Race Replica with Akrapovic exhaust and the former standard pipe
Ride away prices for the FTR 1200 are now:
FTR 1200 (Thunder Black) from $19,995;
FTR 1200 S (Indian Motorcycle Red over Steel Gray, Titanium Metallic over Thunder Black Pearl) from $22,995;
FTR 1200 S Race-Replica from $24,995.
Raven name
Meanwhile, we believe the Raven could be a blacked version of the FTR 1200.
Indian already uses “Dark Horse” for blacked-out versions of their Chief, Springfield and Roadmaster models.
2018 Indian Springfield Dark Horse
However, Raven could be a useful name to differentiate blacked-out versions of their FTR 1200 street tracker and Scout models from their cruisers/tourers.
Either way, it looks like being another big year for Indian Motorcycle which last year recorded 8.7% sales growth.
This was the highest growth rate of any motorcycle companies in Australia and one of only three to record any growth.
But Australia will be at least another year or more behind. Harley-Davidson Australia won’t introduce the LiveWire, predicted to cost more than $40,000, until 2020. Zero Motorcycles pulled the plug on Australia in 2017 with no hint of a return just yet.
Big battle
Harley LiveWire
Other motorcycle manufacturers have electric models in the pipeline and there is a myriad of startup electric motorcycle companies.
However, the focus this year will be on the big battle between Harley and Zero.
Harley is one of the biggest road bike manufacturers in the world and Zero is the biggest electric motorcycle company.
LiveWire V SR/F
The LiveWire is clearly aimed at the top end of the market with premium components and a price tag to match.
Zero’s new naked bike will be launched on February 25, 2019.
Even though it’s called the SR/F which sounds like a version of the SR model, Zero’s recent teaser Tweet says it is “an entirely new platform”.
“More than a new model, SR/F is an entirely new platform. The SR/F provides an effortlessly powerful experience in the naked street bike category,” Zero Tweeted.
It was accompanied by the above teaser photo of the LED headlight.
When Zero pulled the plug on Australian imports, their fleet ( Zero S, SR, DS, DSR, FX and FXS) ranged in price from $18,000 to $25,000 on the road.
2017 Zero motorcycles
Undoubtedly the SR/F will cost a lot less than the Harley LiveWire which will be available for sale in North America and Europe in the third quarter of this year for $US29,799 ($A41,699) plus on-road costs.
That is about the same price Americans pay for a top-of-the-line Ultra Limited tourer with luggage, infotainment and all the bells and whistles. (In Australia, an Ultra Limited costs $A40,995 ride away.)
Expensive electrics
That’s still not as much as the world’s fastest electric motorcycle, the 351km/h Lightning Motorcycle LS-218 at $US38,888 (about $A51,150).
Harley-Davidson has revealed electric bicycle and electric scooter (above) concepts at the Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas over night.
Electric bicycle
They also revealed the price and more specifications for their LiveWire sports bike which will be available in some countries later this year and Australia late in 2020. Click here for more details.
LiveWire
The electric bicycle and scooter concepts were revealed in July last year as artwork when Harley announced its bold new plans for the next four years.
Electric motorcycle artwork and concepts for and electric bicycle and scooter
Those bold plans included an adventure bike and a new family of liquid-cooled models.
Pan America
Now, the company has revealed working concepts models of the bicycle and scooter to “explore the potential of urban mobility and two-wheeled adoption”.
The concepts are part of the company’s planned “broad portfolio of electric two-wheelers designed to establish the company as the leader in the electrification of mobility over the next several years and inspire new riders with new ways to ride”.
There are no names nor specs for the electric bicycle and scooter as they are only prototypes.
Electric bicycle
Their electric mountain bike is similar to many ebikes coming out of Europe and China with pedal assist.
But the scooter prototype is something totally different.
It also seems to feature an LED headlight that is just a hollow ring.
It has inverted forks, no visible rear suspension, large tyres and belt drive.
There is no word on when these concepts will become production models.
It will be available for sale in North America and Europe in the third quarter of this year for $US29,799 ($A41,699) plus on-road costs.
That is about the same price Americans pay for a top-of-the-line Ultra Limited tourer with luggage, infotainment and all the bells and whistles. (In Australia, an Ultra Limited costs $A40,995 ride away.)
That’s not as much as the world’s fastest electric motorcycle, the 351km/h Lightning Motorcycle LS-218 at $US38,888 (about $A51,150).
Lightning record-holding electric race bike
The LiveWire price and more specifications were unveiled at the Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas over night. They also revealed artwork for two smaller electric motorcycles, plus concepts of an electric bicycle and scooter.
Electric motorcycle artwork and concepts for and electric bicycle and scooter
Electric LiveWire details
Most of the electric LiveWire details have already been revealed in Milwuakee during the company’s 115th birthday celebrations. Click here for details.
They include premium components such as Brembo brakes with cornering ABS, fully adjustable Showa suspension, Michelin sport tyres and traction control.
But the magic specification for an electric bike is range and while Zero electric motorcycles offer up to 360km of range with a special battery, the Harley will manage just 177km.
There were few other details about the bike such as battery size, charging times, power and top speed. that’s probably because the battery may change yet again before launch.
However, they did say it would accelerate to 100km/h in “under 3.5 seconds”, which is okay, but not as quick as most sportsbikes.
It has a twist-and-go throttle with no gears or clutch lever like most scooters and unlike the Brammo electric bike, later known as the Victory Empulse.
Connectivity
The other new details are that the LiveWire comes with H-D Connect that pairs the rider and bikes through an LTE-enabled Telematics Control Unit.
It connects with your smartphone via Bluetooth and uses the latest version of the Harley-Davidson App.
The app sends battery data to the app about range and will even guide the rider to the nearest charging station.
It includes tamper alerts if someone tries to steal the bike and a location device to track it if it’s been stolen. This is only available “in some markets” so it is yet to be seen if it works in Australia.
There are also service reminders and notifications.
Triumph Motorcycles looks like having another big year in 2019 with a possible 2.5-litre 134kW (180bhp) Rocket III and high-spec, limited-edition Triumph Factory Custom (TFC) models.
The Rocket III has already the biggest capacity engine of any production motorcycle with a 294cc triple, delivering 221Nm of torque and 109kW of power.
However, rumours about an upgrade and the above photo have leaked from an October Triumph dealers meeting where the bike was wheeled out for a brief time.
Rocket photo
The Rocket III photo taken off a screen reveals quite a bit.
It shows bigger forks, resigned cowl, new exhaust tips, beefier Brembo brakes and a more contoured rider’s seat.
Most importantly, it goes from twin shocks and double-sided swingarm to a single-sided swingarm, probably with a hidden single shock.
Rumours are that the Rocket III will also include many of Triumph’s high-tech rider-aid features such as traction control, cornering ABS and rider modes.
Other tech could include LED lighting, keyless ignition, Bluetooth connectivity and TFT instruments like all modern bikes seem to be getting.
There is no word on when the new Rocket will arrive, but if they have wheeled out a bike at the dealer conference, it should be available sometime next year.
TFC models
Triumph Thruxton R TFC (Photo Triumphrat.net)
Triumph has also told dealers to expect a range of high-spec, limited-edition Triumph Factory Custom (TFC) models.They have had limited-edition and RS models before, but this seems to be a whole new class of bike.
For car enthusiasts think of AMG or HSV.
Triumph suggested TFC models in 2014 when it revealed the TFC Bobber and TFC Scrambler.
The first model will be a Thruxton R TFC in January 2019 with a carbonfibre bobble fairing.
It will weigh less, but have a beefed-up engine mapping, titanium Vance & Hines exhaust and revised riding modes. So it should be a rocket as well!
Suspension is top-shelf Öhlins NIX 30 forks with Öhlins piggyback rear shocks.
Brakes are Brembo radial callipers and radial master cylinder.
