With its eye-catching cast aluminum frame, low center of gravity and a hub motor that hits 14.5-kW at peak power, SONDORS Metacycle is fast but not so furious. It moves in silence but boasts a top speed of 80MPH and a range of about 80 miles. Sleek, streamlined function for that urban commute or Sunday spin. The removable battery recharges in about 4 hours.
MV Augusta’s former director of race development, Arturo Magni, was a moto racing icon who left MV to start his own motorcycle company. He took existing models and made them even better than they already…
The post Magni Italia 01/01 first appeared on Cool Material.
The up-and-coming European bike shop Kaffeemaschine founded by Axel Budde has impressed us every since we laid eyes on their 1984 Le Mans Mark III KM23 Motorcycle. One of their many follow-ups to that incredibly impressive…
The post Kaffeemaschine 1983 Moto Guzzi Custom Motorcycle first appeared on Cool Material.
Emerging from 2020 lighter & more powerful is an impressive feat but Ducati’s legendary Monster has done it. The aluminum trellis frame of the 2021 Ducati Monster holds a more powerful version of the 937-cc Testastretta 11° twin; upgraded to output 111 horses with inspiring levels of torque, all while shaving 40-pounds off the weight. Insane, actually.
We’ve showcased a bunch of Droog Moto’s edgy motorcycles, and their latest is no different, only smaller. Their Mini Fighter is a small displacement model with the same angular bodywork and beefy components as the…
With the release of the new R18 Classic, BMW now has 2 options of this vintage-inspired roadster to choose from. Like the original R18 cruiser, the Classic is heavily influenced by the original 1936 BMW R5—that enormous 1802-cc Boxer engine showcased in a double-loop steel tube frame. The low-slung Classic also features a large windscreen, passenger seating, saddlebags, straight pipes, electronic cruise control & LED lighting.
If this thing doesn’t have fun written all over it, everyone needs his eyes checked. Although it looks like it was built in a Russian garage, the Grunt was actually made in Texas and has…
When it comes to electric motorcycles, you won’t find better options than what the team at Zero Motorcycles is producing. When it comes to vintage styling and modern performance–that is perhaps a little bit less…
Created by Zero Motorcycles and Deus ex Machina co-founder Michael “Woolie” Woolaway, the handcrafted SR/S is the first fully customized Zero Motorcycles release. Constructed entirely of carbon fiber composites, the monocoque design blends artisan craft with modern materials & technologies. The torquey yet silent electric powertrain produces 114 horsepower and hits a top speed of 124 MPH.
To keep itself rolling, the motorcycle industry really needs new young riders falling in love with 2-wheel transport. To that end, Indian has created the eFTR Jr, an all-electric 36-volt mini-bike with a twist grip throttle & disk brakes. 2 power modes offer top speeds of 10-15 MPH & battery life is about 65-minutes on high power. Indian made sure to make it look like a classic V-twin—with tank, exhaust & design details that are more style than function—but this is a badass little bike to get the next generation hyped.
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Transforming a large luxury touring bike like the BMW K1200 LT into something muscular and sporty is no small feat, bu the folks at Adrenaline Junkies took on the task with aplomb. They ditched all…
In its retro blue & yellow race team livery, the 2021 Yamaha Ténéré 700 Rally Edition honors the brand’s iconic Dakar champion bikes. The original XT models claimed 18 podiums in the first 6 editions of the world’s toughest race. 40 years later, this new model is powered by a 689cc, 4-stroke & features switchable ABS, a slip-on Akropovic exhaust, heavy duty skid plates, & LED lights.
This futuristic rendering of an electric motorcycle one-ups even the latest Akira bike concept we covered a little while back. Russian designer Roman Dolzhenko has created a stealthy matte black street rocket with the whole…
Although it looks about as comfortable to ride as a park bench, this twin-cylindrical electric motorcycle, designed by Belarusian designer Artem Smirnov, is meant to be truly practical for urban travel thanks to its light…
As most of us are no longer living in a world where we have to deal with the slog of a daily commute, we’re exploring other transportation options… particularly in the fun, thrilling and exhilarating…
It takes a brave soul to set a land speed record, especially when it’s only on two wheels. The French-made Voxan Motors Wattman aims to do just that next year, and its specs show that…
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a whole lot of new bikes coming
Even 119-year-old businesses can need a shot at reinvention. Royal Enfield had a rough April, selling just 91 motorcycles. But the manufacturer won’t let that deter their ambitious product plans moving forward. Recently, the company’s CEO Vinod Dasari told Car and Bike that Royal Enfield has an onslaught of new bikes planned.
Dasari says Royal Enfield has a new platform coming soon, and plans to launch about four new motorcycles per year over the next three to four years.
“We’re so excited that, to a point, every quarter, for the next three to four years, every quarter, we have a new model,” Dasari told Car and Bike. “It’s not just changing the colors or something, it will be almost a new model, or a variant, coming for the next three to four years.”
Royal Enfield produces fantastic-looking vintage-style motorcycles, including the Interceptor and the Continental GT. The company was founded in the 1950s as a subsidiary of the British firm Royal Enfield to produce bikes for the Indian police. It kept on going after the U.K. company went defunct and kept the right to use the name.
Besides looking great, Royal Enfield bikes are also super-affordable for what they are, with models starting at less than $5,000. They are sold in the U.S., and you can find your local dealer here.
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Count on Fuel Motorcycles to deliver that old-school moto look and feel in everything they do. This time, it’s a flat tracker based on an 1970s Ossa Pioneer 250. The quick Spanish bike received heavy…
Now that summer is almost upon us, the temptation to go riding in jeans and a T-shirt rises with the temperature. But doing so risks serious injury; as the old adage goes, “Dress for the fall, not for the ride.”
Yet while it’s in your best interest to keep your skin off the pavement, dressing for the elements is essential too; if temps are in the upper 80-degree range and humidity is reaching Turkish bath levels, keeping layers to a minimum without sacrificing safety (or style) is key. In that case, you need to consider summer motorcycle jackets.
Leather jackets, regardless of the number of vents and the amount of perforation, will always be a slightly heavier option, but they tend to have the most style. Synthetic textile jackets tend to be the exact opposite, running much lighter but sporting a technical look to leather’s timeless one. But it’s entirely possible to balance safety and style — all while staying cool. Consider this list a great place to start.
The V2 is the improved version of the Alpinestars Viper, with with a little more style and added subtlety to its more technical aspects. CE Level 2-rated armor at the shoulders and elbows is less noticeable than the old version but still has you covered in the event of an impact. The massive mesh panels on the chest and back also allow for more airflow to keep you cool.
Should the temperatures take a dip and you don’t need maximum cooling, the Viper comes with a removable windbreaker liner. Luckily, the V2 comes with a zippered pocket on the lower back on the outside of the jacket, so you can store the liner when you don’t need it. And as a bonus, the Alpinestars Viper V2 is the most affordable option on the list.
Belstaff is known for its leather and waxed canvas jackets, but you’ll be sweating gallons if you try to stick out the summer in your Tourist Trophy. For the warmer months, Belstaff has the Temple Jacket, a lightweight nylon shell with mesh section along the arms for airflow.
Although it’s made from nylon, Belstaff still managed to translate its classic two-pocket, vintage moto jacket style to the technical construction — an achievement in its own right.
Aether held off on creating a mesh motorcycle jacket for a long time, mainly because the material naturally lends itself to more tactical looks, which isn’t the brand’s M.O at all. As the company’s first mesh jacket, the Draft keeps with the minimalist, understated style Aether is known for, while still providing the full airflow benefits of the porous material.
The Draft also comes with a water and wind-resistant outer shell that stores in a zippered pouch in the back — the better to deal with the porous downsides of mesh jackets in inclement weather. The Draft isn’t canvas or leather as we’ve come to expect from them, but it’s undeniably Aether.
(Note: Use code STAYATHOME at checkout to save 25%.)
Rev’It’s overall style leans more to the tactical, high-performance side of the spectrum; the company is loud and proud about the capabilities of their jackets, and the Convex Jacket is no exception. The Convex takes inspiration from Rev’It’s race suits, but dials back the intensity for everyday use.
Perforations in the leather along the torso, chest and back, combined with the PWR stretch panels, provide the airflow you need to keep cool on a hot day’s ride, but there’s still plenty of abrasion protection thanks to the Monaco Performance cowhide construction.
As a traditional, relatively heavy leather jacket, the Bardo should, in theory, have the toughest job of all the picks on this list keeping a rider cool. But Dainese used perforations throughout nearly the entire front and back of the jacket to maximize airflow; there are even extra perforated panels on the underside of the arms for increased circulation.
If you’re looking for classic Italian style but don’t want to sweat to death before you reach your destination, the Dainese Bardo Perforated Jacket is the way to go this summer.
Harley-Davidson may be one of the best-known brands in the motorcycle world — hell, one of the best-known brands in the world, period — but that brand recognition hasn’t been translating to growing sales. 2019 saw the brand’s units moved drop for the fifth straight year in a row, a consequence of its difficulties in pulling in fresh customers as their current ones grow older.
Still, the company is at least taking a few good swings at innovation. The all-electric LiveWire may not have brought in customers in droves, but it still managed to help redefine what an EV motorcycle can be, and the upcoming Bronx and Pan American models show how Harley plans on pushing into other categories buyers certainly don’t associate with the brand today.
Continuing that trend: it seems the motorheads from Milwaukee are planning on releasing a cafe racer and a flat track-inspired bike onto the streets.
That’s the word discovered by Motorcycle.com, which dug up European patent drawings for such a pair of bikes powered by the same new liquid-cooled Revolution Max engine found in the Bronx and Pan American. Those drawings pair almost perfectly with a pair of concept bikes spotted in Harley-Davidson’s investor presentation from September of last year — the blue and black bikes seen above.
The flat tracker, it seems, is likely targeted at the Indian FTR 1200 — which makes sense, given how that bike has opened Indian up to a younger audience less interested in massive cruisers, and that’s exactly what Harley is looking to do. The patent illustrations reveal much of the apparent design: there’s a single oval headlight up front, foot pegs mounted back behind the pivot for the tubular swingarm, an inverted fork front suspension, and a three-slot flyscreen that brings to mind a Jeep grille turned on its side.
The cafe racer seems to share the flat tracker’s front suspension setup, but as the patent drawings reveal, it differs in quite a few other ways. The foot pegs sit higher and further back, the handlebars sit low, and there’s a traditional swingarm with dual shocks in back instead. A headlight fairing and small windshield complete the cafe racer look.
While the style of the concepts is a bit of a matter of taste — we can’t help but think they look like a Harley designer went to Radwood and got the wrong ideas about what people want — the idea of H-D pushing into new categories certainly seems exciting. Sadly, there’s no word on when we’ll see them, but given how far along they look, we wouldn’t be surprised to see them revealed sometime in 2020 and hit the streets in 2021.
And while Harley-Davidson’s new CEO has reportedly played around with the company’s forthcoming model launches in a bid to play things a bit more conservatively — the so-called “Rewire” strategy moved the debuts of the Bronx and Pan American back to 2021 — we’re still hopeful that these exciting bikes will make it to market sooner or later.
