Hah, I’ve drawn an easy holiday assignment here, since we really barely did any multi-bike comparisons in 2019. Not sure why? Probably because the traditional “shootout” takes up a lot of manpower and man-hours (read, $$$) – things we have less of in the current era than in days gone by. Also, is it just me, or are there a lot more new motorcycles coming out lately than in years’ past? It seems like the whole MO crew is so busy spanning the globe to bring you new model introductions, there’s barely time to gather a bunch of like models to compare back home before the new-model cycle starts all over again. 

I think the #1 reason we do fewer comparos, though, is that now there always needs to be a video as well as a print story – and that makes what used to be a mad sprint race across the countryside much more of an endurance slog. Setting up cameras and having to form complete sentences extemporaneously in the hot sun is more like work, less like fun. 

There’s no finer example than our midsummer escape to Laguna Seca for World Superbikes and a track day, in which we performed a sort of pseudo-comparison among dissimilar motorcycles that was pretty fun in retrospect but wound up being a 16-hour day in the saddle on the return leg.

Writer’s Choice: MO’s WSBK Sport-Touring Showdown

It was all worth it in the end, though, when we threw it open to the MO public to determine the winner: You all picked the saddlebag-less, 31-mpg Aprilia Tuono 1100 Factory as the best “sport-tourer”. So why bother?

Maybe it’s best when we keep it simple like we did in May comparing Kawasaki’s excellent new Z400 to our perennial favorite KTM Duke 390. 

Lightweight Rippers: 2019 KTM 390 Duke Vs. 2019 Kawasaki Z400

The KTM smacked the Kawi down, but that doesn’t mean the Z isn’t a fantastic new motorcycle for $4,799. And if the 526,000 Youtube views that video has drawn so far is any indication, we know what kind of motorcycles people (Youtubers anyway) were most interested in in 2019: Simple, inexpensive ones. In spite of starring yours truly and Trizzle, that vid was our blockbuster hit of the year. Wonder if it translates to sales? 

In fact, we did do a big seven-Superbike shootout in 2019 – but it didn’t take any of the MO staff away from our home offices or cost us a single listicle. When Pirelli and our friends at Italian site Moto.it offered us the chance to fly to Sicily and tag along on their Superbike flogathon last June, we were too lame to go. But, we did something even better: We got an actual ex-professional Isle of Man champion roadracer to go and bring back an epic 8,000-word report. Long-time friend of MO Mark Miller wrote an entire Iliad about his odyssey, and only charged us our entire freelance budget for June.

Seven Liter Bikes That Left Me Weak In The Knee Pucks: A Sicilian Love Affair

And, since he would’ve had to charge us extra for the video (something about having a SAG card I think he said), MM didn’t even do a video. Smart man.

We did sneak in one little two-bike comparo here at the end of the year that’s trending pretty well, with over 100k Youtube views in its first week and 1500 Facebook shares. When in doubt, throw in a Harley! Indian’s all-new Challenger challenged the H-D Road Glide Special in this case, in a no-expenses-spared Route 66 dash to Oatman, Arizona, and back, for coolest American bagger title.

Bagger Battle: Harley-Davidson Road Glide Special Vs. Indian Challenger Limited

There you have it, the comparative highlights from 2019. Let’s hope the `20s will be even more roaring than last time. Somebody already suggested VMax v Rocket 3 v XDiavel. Could be good.

The post Best Comparisons of 2019 appeared first on Motorcycle.com.

Brushed alloy is the new chrome. There are zero performance benefits from its use, but boy does it look good.  You’ll find ample use of it on modern motorcycles like the BMW R Nine T, Kawasaki Z900RS, and the Honda CB1000R Neo Sports Cafe. And now, thanks to Icon 1000, you can wear that same finish on your head in the form of the Icon Airflite Quicksilver helmet.

Here’s how Icon’s coolest new lid stacks up out on the street…

As the year comes to a close, we MO editors find ourselves wrapped in sweaters, hot beverages in hand while we warm ourselves in front of space heaters cranked on high. SoCal can be bitterly cold this time of year with temps dipping all the way into the high 40s (F)! Since it’s much too cold to ride a motorcycle in this weather, we’ll sit and reminisce. Warm up the kettle, grab your heated blanket and join us won’t you, as we recall the best first rides of all (of 2019).

Evans Brasstacks – 2019 Yamaha Niken GT in the soggy Los Padres National Forest

“I love riding in the rain” Brasfield said, his voice trailing off suggesting he hadn’t been listening to a thing I was saying. His tone conjured up images of an aging man staring out of his office window at nothing particular as the rain dripped down the glass. He would be wishing for nothing more – including listening to what I have to say – than to be splashing through puddles on his beloved 790 Duke. Well, it’d just so happen that ol’ Brasstacks managed to pry himself out from under his crushing managerial responsibilities, and whatever else it is that he does on a daily basis, to attend the 2019 Yamaha Niken GT introduction north of LA in Santa Barbara County. It was like the launch had been tailor-made for him. Mother Nature provided the moisture while Yamaha USA provided the ultimate vehicle for the conditions that lay ahead.

2019 Yamaha Niken GT Review – First Ride

“The rain stopped just minutes before I entered the corner at a healthy clip – only to find that it had a decreasing radius. Then it went slightly off-camber. Not an ideal situation by any means. Still, the good folks at Yamaha insisted that less than ideal traction situations were where the Niken GT’s two-wheeled front suspension would shine. The assertion being that if one contact patch momentarily lost traction, the other one would make up for it. So, I grit my teeth and dialed in more lean…

“The corner would have been extremely sketchy on your typical motorcycle – though I wouldn’t have been going as fast on one in the wet conditions in which I was riding. A couple of corners later, as the right front tire spent a little too much time on a tar snake with the bike leaned over, I got to actually feel what it is like when a contact patch does lose traction. The bike tracked like nothing was wrong, betraying the one-wheel slip with a slight oscillation of the handlebar. Essentially, it was a non-event. The combination of those two moments on the 2019 Yamaha Niken GT won me over.”

Johnny B – 2019 Indian FTR1200 in Cabo

Trying to get a straight answer out of John Burns is about as easy as organizing a seven-plus-bike shootout with a staff of four, so I’ll let him tell you how he felt about his slew of first rides this year:

2019 Indian FTR1200 First Ride At Last! Review

“It’s all a blur, I had the privilege of riding a bunch of new bikes for the first time this year: Katana 1000 in Japan, Rocket 3 in Tenerife, Svartpilen 701 in Portugal, and some I may have forgotten. Of them all, I have to say my fave was Indian’s new FTR1200. The immediate whump of its big V-twin, the fat DT tires, the aggressive nature of the thing combined with comfy/sporty ergos (and cruise control) that let you go a good long time – even on sandy dirt roads. The FTR just grabbed me in a way nothing else did in 2019. But I gave the Svartpilen 701 an even higher rating, 92, maybe because I hadn’t ridden the FTR yet. The 690-Duke powered Svart does everything the FTR does but there’s probably 150 pounds less of it, which makes it a fantastic do-everything bike, too. Alas, no cruise control like on the FTR and the new Triumph Rocket 3. Oooooo Rocket 3, now there’s a sweet new motorcycle. Oh, don’t forget the new Kawasaki Versys 1000 SE LT, which I rated 89.5. I’m gonna narrow it down to those four, any one of which I could live happily with for years. It all depends on what you want.”

Trizzle – 2019 Aprilia RSV4 1100 Factory at Mugello

For Troy, blasting around the iconic Mugello Circuit on a beefed-up version of one of his favorite bikes topped the list. It’s no secret the RSV4 platform has been a favorite of the entire MO staff, current and past, for some time, but the newest version features a rule-breaking monstrous 1078cc V4 engine and as we always say, more is more and here MO is betta. More power + more brakes + more wings = more fun.

2019 Aprilia RSV4 1100 Factory Review – First Ride

“There might be no better place than the legendary Mugello circuit in the Tuscan valley in Italy to let an 1100 stretch its wings, err, legs. Its fast, flowing corners highlight the RSV’s cornering agility, while its 1.1 km straight is one of the few places on earth you can tickle redline in sixth gear. Now, normally anybody in their right mind would suggest against learning a new track, especially Mugello, aboard a fire-breathing 1100, but if you don’t have another choice like I didn’t, the RSV4 1100 is not a bad place to be.”

Ryan Adams – 2019 KTM 790 Adventure R in Morocco

I’ve had a lot of great First Rides in 2019, but considering it won our Best Adventure Motorcycle award as well as Motorcycle Of The Year in 2019, my pick would have to be the KTM 790 Adventure R. And even though we’re talking about First Rides here, which not only consider the motorcycle, but also the location and our experience saddling upon a model for the first time, riding the 790 Adventure R in some seriously gnarly conditions being led by Dakar legends and enduro gods will likely go down as a best ever for me.

2019 KTM 790 Adventure R First Ride Review

Traveling to Morocco is no easy task. It takes some extra flights and extra time in some of the world’s less luxurious airports, but hey, that’s what makes far off lands exotic. Rubbing elbows with Toby Price, who had just won the 2019 Dakar rally with a broken wrist, on the last couple legs of our journey was pretty cool, but the experience that would lie ahead was incredible. I’m still impressed with KTM’s willingness to send out groups of journalists into the harsh climate and terrain that encompasses the Sahara’s Merzouga Dunes. It was a proper motorcycle test. More often than not, manufacturers very carefully plan rides to ensure the routes, asphalt, dirt, etc. play to the motorcycle’s strengths, rather than their weaknesses. Not the case during the 790 Adventure R launch. We set off into deep sand almost immediately after we left the small village where we stayed. With Chris Birch, who is one of the most incredible enduro riders I’ve ever seen, leading my group, we managed to do a bit more exploring than some of the other groups. We’d work our way up steep cirques and back down sidehills scattered with sharp volcanic rock, spend time in massive sand dunes, and have high-speed desert blasts in between. 

The entire experience was amazing. The bike did great, the location was interesting, and the VIP KTM racers helped add to the rally ambiance. But what I’m most impressed with, again, is KTM’s belief that their motorcycle would not be the limiting factor during that launch. It was true. Kudos to KTM for producing one of the best tests of a motorcycle I’ve had the opportunity to be a part of yet.

The post Best First Rides of 2019 appeared first on Motorcycle.com.

This is tough. Week on week, we strive to curate only the best custom motorcycles for you, our readers. So even though Chris and I don’t always agree on what’s hot (and what’s not), every bike on these pages is, in some way, a favorite.

That makes picking the ten best bikes of the year an impossible task. We get around it by leaning purely on stats to compile our ranked ‘Top 10‘ each year. But once that’s done, I have the thankless task of rounding up my personal favorites—an editor’s choice that ignores web stats and social media buzz.

It starts with a ‘short list’ of about 25 bikes. Once Chris compiles the stats and publishes his list, I eliminate any bikes that made both lists, to level the playing field. This year, those were Brad Peterson’s Yamaha TZ750, Workhorse Speedshop’s Indian Scout drag bike and Andrew Stagg’s jaw-dropping Yamaha MT-07.

Like the stats-based list, my selection is extremely light on café racers—but loaded with flat trackers and street trackers, and bikes that take cues from those styles. There’s been a big push towards performance in the scene this year too, and some of the bikes below would be proper fun to ride. As an added twist, two of the machines that made the cut are electric.

The list below isn’t ranked, it’s simply alphabetical (by builder name). So read on and soak up my ten favorite custom motorcycles of 2019. Then hop into the comments and tell me if you agree with the selection.

Alta Redshift by Blatant Moto When electric manufacturer, Alta, shut their doors, three ex-employees were left with a laundry list of untested ideas. Luckily, those guys also had the skills to execute their ideas, and access to a bundle of prototype and sample drivetrain parts from the company’s promising Redshift model.

The three formed Blatant Moto, and debuted with this radical flat tracker. Ironically dubbed ‘The Death Rattle,’ it’s a refreshing twist on a popular genre, but it’s also a glimpse at the design potential that electric drivetrains offer.

With fewer moving parts, and no need for frivolous things like a fuel tank, Blatant were able to build something truly minimal. The only real bodywork is a custom made tail unit, and a small cover that protects vital electronic components. Since there’s no clutch or front brake, the cockpit is sano to the max (and even the onboard charge port has been removed).

This team’s packing a serious skill set too—the chromoly trellis frame and the swing arm were done in-house, and the overall design and color scheme are inspired. We’re keeping a keen eye on Blatant Moto in 2020. [More]

Honda CR500 by Deus ex Machina USA Deus USA’s in-house bike builder, Michael ‘Woolie’ Woolaway, is as down to earth as he is talented. And as someone that actually races too, he knows what works and what doesn’t. So when Red Bull asked him to collaborate on a custom motorcycle for MotoGP star Dani Pedrosa, it was never going to be mild.

Since Dani’s raced with Honda throughout his entire career, Woolie picked the extremely potent Honda CR500 as a donor. Then he yanked out the motor and stuck it in a custom chromoly frame from master frame builder, Jeff Cole.

The parts list is mouthwatering; a custom carb from Lectron, Öhlins forks in adjustable triples and a Race Tech shock. Everything’s tied together with an array of hand-made bits, that covers everything from the aluminum bodywork to the custom exhaust system. Woolie also tapped the best in the biz to handle things like the motor porting and custom radiators, so nothing was left to chance.

Not only does the bike look absolutely mental, but it’s a wild ride too. Luckily, its owner knows things about riding motorcycles fast… [More]

Ducati Multistrada 1000 DS by 46Works It’s hard to explain 46Work’s signature style—or even why it speaks to me so much. It has a lot to do with builder Shiro Nakajima‘s background. He was the founder of Ritmo Sereno, he lives in big old wooden building in the Japanese countryside, and he races both classic cars and bikes.

Add that all up, and you get bikes like this striking Multistrada 1000 DS. Somehow, Nakajima-san has taken a fourteen-year-old motorcycle, shed its awkward lines, and made it look both more retro and more contemporary at the same time. According to him, his original idea was to build a modern interpretation of the classic Ducati 750 GT.

There’s so much to love here, from the custom tank and frame mods, right back to the new swing arm and twin shock conversion. Shiro also fitted 18” wheels, setup a custom braking system and added Öhlins kit at both ends.

Given that the Multistrada motor is peachy enough out the box, and the handling and ergos have been properly seen to, this one should be a good runner. But it’s the details that send it over the top—like that Ducati motif on the back of the seat. [More]

Royal Enfield x Harris Performance Harris has been building high-performance motorcycles since the 70s, but have remarkably never built a flat tracker… until now. Judging by this sharp Enfield-based flat track racer, they’ve come out the gate running.

Harris is owned by Royal Enfield‘s parent company, and actually developed the chassis for the Continental GT and Himalayan. So this bike was built in collaboration with Enfield’s technical center in Leicestershire. That makes it a ‘factory custom’—and it has us praying that it makes it onto showroom floors in some form.

It’s powered by Enfield’s new 650 twin, boosted to 750 cc by S&S Cycle, who also supplied the exhaust and a custom-mapped ECU. Harris built the frame with brazed steel tubing, then matched it to adjustable yokes and Öhlins suspension. And Enfield’s UK design team made the carbon fiber bodywork.

The result is a slick race bike that ticks all the right boxes, but looks fresher than your garden variety flat tracker. Enfield have already been spied running laps on track, but they haven’t given any word about whether they’re actually going to race it. We’re holding thumbs. [More]

S&S Cycle Knucklehead by Hazan Motorworks Max Hazan is a regular feature on our annual top 10 lists, and with good reason. His creations are elegant mechanical beasts that often show just how far he’s able to stretch his imagination.

This masterpiece has shades of Italian sport bikes, but it’s actually powered by a Knucklehead motor. And it’s no run of the mill Knuckle either. Max started with a 74 ci motor from S&S Cycle, and then rebuilt it to run two front heads and two carbs. All because he had spoken to someone that loved both Knuckleheads and old Vincent motors, and figured he’d build something in that vein.

The conversion required extensive (and some pretty unique) mods to work, but there’s just as much work in the rest of the bike. There’s a bespoke chromoly frame, matched up to an aluminum swing arm and a set of Enfield forks. All the polished aluminum bodywork is custom too, as is the stainless steel exhaust system.

A set of 18” Morris mags add a dose of retro track style, while mods like the Indian Scout transmission match-up and home-made clutch actuator have us scratching our heads. See you again next year, Max? [More]

Yamaha MT-07 by Jake Drummond Who is Jake Drummond? Just a twenty-five year old kid from Wisconsin, who knocked our socks off with this utterly ridiculous MT-07.

The story behind the bike is as crazy as the end result. It involves shaping a 1/10th scale model from stainless steel, buying a new MT-07 when a crashed one couldn’t be found, and dropping out of school to finish the project. It all paid off though.

Jake’s design revolves around a hand-built aluminum perimeter frame, flowing straight into an aluminum swing arm. The engine’s mounted onto a forward subframe, with a stainless steel rear subframe to support the seat. Upgraded parts include R6 forks, 21F/18R RSD wheels, and a custom-built stainless steel exhaust.

Nicknamed ‘The Omen,’ this MT-07 is also sporting a custom tank, seat and tail. The stance is flawless, but so is the clever mix of contrasting finishes. [More]

Indian Scout by Luuc Muis When Indian Motorcycles launched a custom design contest in the Benelux region, Luuc Muis jumped in with both feet. He designed a 1910s-era boardtracker with a modern twist, and won. The prize: a brand new Scout and 20 weeks to translate his concept into a finished bike.

Working after-hours (Luuc has a full-time job) out of Outsiders Motorcycles’ shop, Luuc built one of the most extreme examples of a board tracker we’ve seen.

Other than the Scout’s motor and axles, everything else is custom. The frame’s particularly nuts—it was designed digitally, then an engineering firm in Norway milled the 16 aluminum parts that it’s constructed from. The fuel tank forms part of the frame, and has different sections to hold fuel, the electronics and the air intake.

Titanium exhausts from Akrapovič, carbon forks and a rear shock linkage that borrows its design from mountain bikes; there’s truly some crazy stuff happening here. Add to that a classy red paint job and period-correct leather seat, and you have a winner. [More]

Harley-Davidson Street Rod 750 by Noise Cycles Scott ‘T-Bone’ Jones made his name building extremely cool Harley-Davidson customs. And then he took up Hooligan class flat track racing—and since then, an inordinate amount of his focus has been on racing.

That means his personal race bike has constantly evolved. This is the latest iteration, and it’s so far outside the box that it’s borderline genius. When I saw this Noise Cycles bike in the metal at the Mama Tried show earlier this way, it stopped me dead in my tracks.

The biggest drawcard is the dirt-bike bodywork. Scott and his teammate, Brandon ‘Gonz’ Gonzalez, had the crazy idea of using the body kit from a Husqvarna FC450. So they borrowed the plastics for one from a friend, and it turned out to be a close to perfect fit.

Scott trimmed a few bits away, then built a stunning aluminum fuel cell to fill all the available space it could, while holding the bare minimum for racing. Scott had previously flipped the Harley’s heads to run a left side exhaust, but didn’t like it anymore—so he built a new system that exits left and runs through to the right.

As for the rest, it’s just a whole lot of really cool race sh*t, that Scott’s figured out as he’s gone along. [More]

BMW R18 by Revival Cycles BMW Motorrad have spent all year teasing their upcoming big boxer ‘R18,’ and part of that campaign has involved giving the motor to customizers to do awesome things with. Revival Cycles built this, and it is, indeed, awesome.

They’ve called it ‘Birdcage,’ named for its wireframe chassis, constructed from 138 pieces of titanium. It’s sort of freeform, but it’s also very intentional; everything the bike needs to function is bolted to the birdcage frame.

The front suspension mimics BMW’s own telelever system, using a mix of BMW and custom parts. The forks and handlebars were shaped as a homage to the famed Ernst Henne Landspeeder, and the seat is carbon fiber. There are crazy details everywhere, like the right side hand-shifter and the custom valve covers.

Revival built Birdcage to intentionally look like it’s not functional. Except it is—even if it does have a really tiny fuel tank that’s hard to spot. [More]

PACT by Walt Siegl Walt Siegl builds bonafide dream machines. So when we caught wind that he was working on an electric motorcycle, anticipation levels were sky high. He’s partnered with industrial designed Mike Mayberry, and so far the results have been every bit as excellent as we’ve come to expect from Mr Siegl.

Mike and Walt are driven by a simple ideal: to make electric motorcycles that speak to them on an emotional level. And ‘PACT’ sure is loaded with finishes and touches that evoke emotion. Take a look at the marbling on the bodywork; it’s not paint, it’s the natural finish of the ‘forged’ carbon used for the parts.

PACT is powered by an Alta Redshift drivetrain, cradled in a custom chromoly frame. All the brackets that hold critical components were first 3D designed and printed, test fitted, then CNC’d from steel. Even the rims were custom machined specifically for this project.

The bike makes about 50 hp and weighs just 251 pounds, and has been designed specifically with street-focused geometry. It’s also achingly beautiful. [More]

Editor’s Note: I did mention that picking a top ten is tough, and there are always a handful of top-shelf builds that just quite don’t make it onto the list.

This year, those include Hookie Co.’s kooky take on the Yamaha XSR700 [above], Nick Graveley’s Zero FX flat tracker, CW Zon’s Buell S1 Lighting, Rough Crafts’ H-D Street Bob custom and Huge Moto’s cutting edge Zero FXS supermotard [below]. And Ben Giese’s Triumph Scrambler deserves an honorable mention for being a cracking example of a subtle, real-world custom.

As you can tell, it’s been a mega year for us. Thanks for joining us for the ride, and we’ll see you in 2020 for more.

The words ‘drag racing’ and ‘scooter’ shouldn’t belong in the same sentence. But if you ask us, the idea of boosting micro-sized machines to race instead of commute sounds like buckets of fun. Especially when your race bike makes five times its original power, runs nitrous, and weighs next to nothing.

This plucky little sprinter started out as a Piaggio NRG—a 50 cc scooter from the mid-2000s—but it’s come a long way. Power is up from the stock 4 PS to a heady 20 PS, and the curb weight is just 56 kilos—124 pounds.

The story revolves around friends and contacts in Cologne’s motorcycle scene. It starts with Nick Xiromeritis—an automotive designer who’s worked as far afield as Japan and France.

“On eBay I was selling a Honda NS400R fairing and exhaust,” Nick explains. “I was contacted by Mirko Toth, through a mutual friend of Jens at JvB Moto here in Cologne.”

“Mirko purchased the fairings, and saw what I’d been working on. Then, a few months later, he approached me about doing a project together.”

Mirko had been working at Scooter Centre in Cologne for years, and had a lot of experience building scooter drag racing motors. He’d just bought the Piaggio; it had already been ‘converted’ for drag racing, with a makeshift hardtail setup that consisted of a steel table leg where the rear shock once was.

Nick and Mirko got talking, and before long had mocked up just how the NRG should look. Nick was so stoked on the idea, he stole the tank and tail he’d been working on for his NS400R, and began repurposing them for the Piaggio.

But first, the guys had to drastically rework the scooter’s frame. Not only did the table leg get tossed, but also the original engine brackets—so the entire back half of the frame is new.

The original elastomer engine mounts were repurposed to hang the motor, and whole lot of reinforcing and lightening happened from front to back. Nick and Mirko also narrowed the seat perch, shortened the steering head and stretched the overall chassis by a couple of inches.

For the forks, they installed a set of Aprilia units, shortened them to just 80 mm of travel, and shaved off their brake mounts. The handlebars are ape hangers from a Honda V30 Magna—shortened, narrowed and mounted upside down on a mountain bike stem.

The wheels are stock, with the rear wrapped in one of the last 13-inch race slicks to be found in Europe. (They’re reportedly becoming more and more rare in that size).

With the rolling chassis sorted, Nick set about adapting his tank and tail to fit the NRG. The tank was originally adapted from a Kawasaki AR50, but the tail unit is a complete custom job. Nick made it from carbon fiber, and bolted it to an aluminum seat pan.

The seat pan attaches to the frame via three titanium quick-release fasteners, giving easy access to the motor. Getting the fuel tank off is equally simple—it hooks into custom-made tubular mounts up front, with just one bolt holding it at the back.

As Nick started buttoning up the last bits of the chassis and shell, Mirko turned his attention to the motor. He went to town, starting with a Polini Evolution 70 cc kit with longer con-rods and a stage six crankshaft.

The exhaust consists of a Metrakit Prorace chamber with a Jim Lomas carbon muffler, and there’s a Malossi Delta CVT clutch in play too. Mirko also installed a Keihin 28 mm flatslide carb, a Motoforce adjustable intake with a carbon reed box, and an Italkit ignition.

The block, cylinder, intake, exhaust and piston were all ported and flowed, to bring the original NRG motor up to 20 PS. And the clutch is set up so that it’ll launch from 6,000 rpm, with power peaking at 9,300 rpm.

The NOS system comes from Dynotune in Florida. “I was researching who has experience with NOS and two-strokes,” Nick tells us, “and they seemed to be the only ones. Plus Mirko had never done one before and always wanted to give it a go.”

“Unfortunately this also meant the we needed to get the bottle filled here in Germany, as you cannot ship a full NOS bottle (not really a surprise).”

Nick made an intake funnel and nose mount for the system, using a Ducati 999 funnel as a base. The boost is solenoid-activated via a switch on the bars, and will only run off the Keihin power jet. “This gives us the ability to tune the NOS separately from the motor,” Nick explains, “so we don’t run too lean.”

Mirko’s actually still tuning the NOS setup, but the guys are expecting eight to 10 more PS when it’s ready. And then it’ll be time to go racing.

To make sure it looks the part, Nick treated it to a two layer purple and candy paint job, over a chrome base. The paint, all the fabrication work, and details like the custom ignition cover, were all done in-house.

Nick called in help for one detail; tattoo artist and pin-striper, Von Maze laid down a pin stripe and a stunning pair of tank graphics, all by hand. The logos read ‘ANX Prototypes’—the name of the bike building business Nick is launching.

If this boosted two-stroke doesn’t look like the most fun thing on two wheels, maybe check your pulse. And if you’re in Europe, look out for it on the sprint scene—and let us know how it sounds!

ANX Prototypes Facebook | Instagram | Photos by Tim Davies

Ten years ago, it is written, the 600 Supersport class was still hotly contested, bitterly fought over, super-important to the Big Four, etc… Then something happened. The Great Recession, the Boomer Regression, the ADV Expansion? The street portion of 2009’s de rigueur 600 Shootout! has lost the illumination from its manuscript; luckily we unearthed the video, and the Willow Springs racetrack portion of the smackdown. However current sales figures may be, all four of these motorcycles are still available as new models – and the winner of this little comparo retails for a mere $200 more than it did ten years ago. Let us praise and give thanks to Duke, Brissette and Gardiner – and also to the freelance apostle Andrea for some nice photos for a change. Amen, and Happy New Year.

Readers who want to be endowed with maximum info will want to first check out our 600 Street shootout. You get bonus marks for reading our ZX-6R First Ride and our 2008 Supersport Shootout.It’s a reasonable thing for most enthusiasts visiting this illustrious webzine to expect our reviews of motorcycles to be conclusive. After all, when we factor in the talents of our current crew of “volunteer staff,” our collective experiences span nearly a century of riding and getting to know just about every make and model of bike available for the past 30 years. So plucking out the best should be as easy as getting out of bed, right?

Oh, if only it were so easy. Sometimes even the pros are left scratching their noggins like a small party of confused chimps. Such is the case with the 2009 crop of Japanese Supersports.

A storm’s a brewin’ in the Supersport class this year.

We recently tasked ourselves with putting the racy 600cc weapons from Honda, Kawasaki, Suzuki and Yamaha through the wringer in everyday environs – streets, freeways, canyons, parking lots… places where most race-bred middleweights will spend the majority of their life after exiting dealer showrooms.

Is the Ninja’s celebratory wheelie at the track premature gloating, or will all the things we liked about it on the street be enough to crown the Ninja overall Supersport King?

At the end of this real-world exercise we rested confidently in our choice of the all-new 2009 Kawasaki ZX-6R as the new King of Supersport. The new Ninja’s best-in-class power and a much sharper chassis than previous gave it the nod in our street-biased shootout. Though time on the dyno provided scientific proof that the revamped Ninja had indeed shed its softish powerband from the previous iteration, we didn’t really need dyno results to tell us what we were already feeling.

“Its engine reminds me a lot of the old 636,” Mark Gardiner rightly said of the new Ninja.

The Ninja pumped out nearly 108 rear-wheel ponies on the Area P dyno, 5 horsies up on the next-best Gixxer and 10 more than the CBR. The R6 also had some top-end horsepower stolen in 2009 because of noise regulations. For the full story, scroll down to the sidebar on this page.

Not only is the ZX’s engine revised and retuned to make the most power, the chassis received numerous updates to make it lighter steering and better responding, it lost upwards of 20 pounds, and it retained its best-in-class brakes. The Ninja went from almost last in 2008 to top of the class this year after our street ride.

Round Two

Riding a bike closer to the edge of its performance envelope – especially in this group of race-developed steeds – will make known things about a bike’s character that street riding simply cannot expose. Thus it’s time to for us to move on to the second half our evaluation in our annual Supersport Shootout.

Would the opportunity to stretch throttle cables, slam shifters, and crush brake levers reveal a new pecking order? Will the GSX-R600 remain our second most fave? Can the CBR regain ground lost in the street ride? Does the racy R6 have a trick up its intake to usurp them all in its most flattering environment?

Can last year’s Supersport Shootout champ turn the tables on the Ninja now that the racetrack is the battleground?

We took this quartet up into the lush Mojave Desert to the Streets of Willow racetrack to find the answers we needed. We spent a day with the friendly folks at Hypercycle for one of their track days, screaming around on identical track rubber, Michelin’s new Power One (look for a review in the coming weeks). You’ll forgive us for skipping the preliminaries and getting directly to our impressions.

Hypercycle Trackdays

By Kevin Duke In need of a racetrack for the second part of our shootout, we called up a guy we know who has been around them for decades. Carry Andrew is not only a nationally recognized racer mechanic (he has two AMA Tuner of the Year awards), he also has been using his Hypercycle enterprises to host trackdays since 2000. Hypercycle keeps things simple, allowing prices to be amazingly reasonable. The events are held at just three Southern California racetracks (Willow Springs, Streets of Willow, and Buttonwillow), but they are within 500 miles of about 30 million people. The KISS concept also precludes lunch, as many of their clientele preferred to eat at their own schedule and to their own taste. So HC dropped that perk – and their prices. A day at the SoW like ours costs $135 or less. Pre-registration brings it down to $125. Or even less if you’re a racer or military, plus there’s a group discount if you bring four or more of your friends. The majority of their events (about 120 since they began in 2000) take place on Mondays. Andrew, who has worked with such racer luminaries as Nicky Hayden, Jake Holden, Jimmy Moore and Michael Barnes, is a master technician. Much of the work done at the Hypercycle shop is building potent engines, but they also do chassis and suspension work. Five national championships are evidence to his prowess. He added trackday hosting to his resume back in 2000. One thing you’re assured of at a Hypercycle trackday is lots of track time, and the atmosphere is congenial and friendly. “We like riding,” says Andrew. “We love riding!” We do, too, Carry. See you again soon. Fourth Place: Yamaha YZF-R6Specs The dark clouds of a weak-ish midrange tend to cause the R6 to be overshadowed by the competition. However, if you don’t mind screaming the engine, the R6 is a bike that’s always in the hunt on the track. The revvy R6 feels right at home on the racetrack, much more than it does on the street, as the racetrack environment makes it possible to keep the tach up high where the R6 motor likes it. But there’s no getting around the fact that the Yamamotor feels softer than its rivals. In lower revs the mill simply seems flaccid next to the others. However, once the tach needle hits the 10.5K mark, power comes on with a fairly healthy wallop. Too bad the fun arrives so late, as it’s only good for about another 2 or 3K rpm before the exhaust valve stifles its breathing. Unless you’ve carried enough corner speed heading in to a slow turn, relying on the throttle to dig you out of that corner will have you slapping your ass and yelling, “C’mon, giddy up!” Fueling is flawless and super-easy to manage. YCC-T and YCC-I are a potent pair; their collective smooth performance translates into confidence, the rider knowing exactly what to expect when twisting the grip. In the early part of the day guest tester Mark Gardiner felt he was much more aware of the track’s surface while aboard the R6, adding that he had a disquieting sense that he was putting too much faith in the front tire. “I got the feeling that, in this crop of bike, the R6 is the most dependent on setup,” he said, not knowing at first how right he was. After some expert suspension fiddling – lowered fork tubes and reduced compression damping – by Yamaha professional tech Mike Ulrich, all of us felt the R6’s now-lighter steering effort was on par with GSX-R. Kev also believed it tracked much better over The Street’s bumpy surfaces. The R6’s brakes are a couple paces behind the competition. “They lack the sensitivity offered on the other three, and stopping power is generally underwhelming, with noticeable lever travel to boot,” Pete noted. After some suspension tweaks, the R6 proved to be sure-footed around the Streets of Willow’s varying and at times crummy surfaces. Still, Mark wisely noted that the R6’s sharply focused track emphasis can qualify it as a bike For Experts Only. There’s no denying that the R6 is a formidable machine, but at day’s end we didn’t ascertain anything about the Yamaha that would’ve moved it out of the same placement we gave it on our street ride. Second Place: Honda CBR600RRSpecs Yes, we said second place, and this means handing out a rare Motorcycle.com tie. On the plus side, the CBR feels solid, as of one piece from axle to axle, and it made all our testers immediately confident. It also garnered kudos for its best-in-class agility, boasting a racy rake and the lightest weight. Yet the RR isn’t the least bit squirrely with much of its stability credited to the high-tech electronic steering damper. “It was completely unflappable over bumps. It encouraged me to use all the tire, and lots of the available grip,” said Mr. Mark. Pete echoed those sentiments: “For me, it was the only bike that didn’t need adjustments and was immediately ready-to-ride ‘out of the box.’” New-for-’09 calipers sourced from the CBR1000RR provide plenty of power, but are just a couple ticks behind the ZX in terms of making the rider feel directly connected to the brakes like the ZX’s binders do so incredibly well. Fueling is abrupt from closed to open throttle, and it had the heaviest throttle return spring. The combination of those two nits can cause a rider to divert attention from other important duties. The CBR’s muted top-end power this year hurt it on the two longest straights at the Streets. Kevin went so far as to say he could feel it being choked up on top. There’s no denying the peak power deficit. Still, where grunt is needed most – like the first or second gear final turn before the front straight – the Honda pulls with authority. Its mid-range power is neck and neck with the ZX, aided by short overall gearing. Kool kat Kaming lauded the CBR for its light weight and stellar agility. But it’s missing a slipper clutch, gear-position indicator and shift light, plus it could use a half-dozen more ponies. In this photo-finish class, any check mark in the N/A column can really hurt a supersport’s chance at top-honors. Yet, the Honda is so darn good in so many other ways, it’s easy to see how we had such a difficult time ranking it any lower than spot #2. Second Place: Suzuki GSX-R600Specs If you’re a real racer or trackday addict, recommending the Gixxer makes perfect sense. Aftermarket support is abundant, and the bike has a knack for getting around a racetrack without drama. Its powerband comes second only to the Ninja, plus it has the slipper clutch and comprehensive gauges the CBR lacks. The Gixxer gets extra brownie points for being the only bike to come with adjustable footpegs. But we were shocked when we noticed the Suzuki’s MSRP had shot up – $1,000 from ’08 – to the priciest of the group. And it feels heavier than the CBR, ‘cause, well, the CBR is the lightest in the collection. “The CBR is easier to enter and exit corners due to its shorter wheelbase and lighter weight, but the GSX-R has spot-on engine management in every gear and rpm,” offered our resident Ducatisti, Kaming Ko. Along with the Gixxer’s competitive and user-friendly engine, its front end is adept at constantly telegraphing all the data your mind can handle, yet the neutral steering chassis is ever-composed, happily taking orders and doing exactly what you ask of it. In fact, it’s almost uncanny how accommodating the Suzuki can be. Need more lean angle at mid-corner? Just give the bars a shove and the bike responds instantly without any hint or suggestion that what you just did may have been a less-than-bright move on other bikes. Using turns that are crucial to a good lap on The Streets as his barometer, Mark sensed he wasn’t circulating quite as well on the Suzuki as on the Honda. But he promptly added that he felt if had a little more track familiarity he could’ve gone just a quickly as he did on the CBR. If you don’t have a snazzy set of leathers color-matched to the Gixxer, you’ll still look good aboard it. Even better is that riding the Suzuki will make you feel as good as Kevin looks. “If its mill was endowed with nothing more than another 3 to 4 horsepower it could easily take a legitimate swing at dethroning the Ninja,” Pete said with conviction. “It’s comfortable and easy to ride fast right out of the gate. I needed little to no acclimatization after having not ridden this bike in at least two weeks. Essentially, it does little wrong.” The Winner: Kawasaki ZX-6RSpecs Sweeping revisions to the 600cc Ninja made for a bike that has best top-end power, sublime mid-range, premium brakes and an excellent chassis. The combo of high marks in those areas made the ZX-6R the overall winner of our annual Supersport Shootout. The ZX first proved it had the goods when we rode it on the street, then backed up those impressions with the best dyno chart of the group. This power surplus of the 6R is readily apparent on the racetrack. The Streets of Willow has two areas in which a rider can accelerate at full throttle through a couple of gears, and the ZX consistently achieved higher speeds than the others. But just as impressive is the Ninja’s pull throughout the rev range. “The abundant grunt from the engine means a rider can be a little lazier with gear selection, knowing full well the bike will pull cleanly from a slow-speed corner,” said Pete. “With these bikes so evenly matched in so many ways, a machine that exits a corner quicker without tap dancing on the shifter can mean the difference between a race winner and first runner-up.” An example of how closely matched this group was revealed in our first sessions on the 6R. Its suspension, including the new technology of its Showa Big Piston Fork, was unable to suck up The Streets numerous bumps as well as the CBR and Gixxer, and a few of our testers weren’t confident lapping the track quickly. But thanks to the seasoned skill set of pro Kawi tech (and caterer extraordinaire), Joey Lombardo, the ZX tracked much better over uneven surfaces. A few carefully chosen clicks resulted in Duke’s lap times dropping by nearly 2 seconds! Add to the Ninja’s best-in-class mill a transparent transmission/slipper-clutch combo, excellent Showa BPF sticks, a responsive chassis and Nissin radial-mount brakes that rival many Brembo units we’ve tested, and we arrive at a total-package supersport – the overall winner of our 2009 Supersport Shootout. This is primarily the view the competition had of the all-new Ninja during both the street and track portions of our four-way comparison. We’re eager to see if the upcoming race season will reflect our results. Having finally wrapped up one of two of the most important comparisons we do each year, we can’t wait to see what Honda, Suzuki and Yamaha will be doing for 2010 to catch the Assassin! Motorcycles via Motorcycle.com https://ift.tt/2Std7JO December 29, 2019 at 11:22AM In My Pit… I will have to choose the Honda. No doubt the Kawasaki ZX-6R is the performance leader among this group – with upgraded suspension components and additional manageable power, it is by far a better machine. But if I were to buy a 600 today, I will have to choose the CBR600RR because Honda workmanship has the highest standard in my view, and the CBR is no exception with its light weight, short wheelbase and linear low-end torque making a perfect bike. The sitting position is as good as it gets for a sports bike riding in traffic or twisty roads. However, if one was to compete in stock production class at his/her local club races, then you’d better pick the 2009 Kawasaki ZX-6R! –Kaming Ko, favored-status test rider As a mediocre rider (or maybe I should say as a coward!), the track environment is about confidence, which is to say, about the chassis. If I was choosing a track-biased 600 streetbike, I’d go with the Honda CBR600RR. Even though it was the bike I rode first, on a track that was still cold and largely unfamiliar, I was able to carry more speed through more corners on the CBR than any of the other bikes. The Honda delivered a mainline hit of confidence. The Suzuki GSX-R600 would be my second choice. If I rode mostly on the street and only attended a couple of track days a year, I’d buy the Kawasaki ZX-6R with the Honda as second choice. –Mark Gardiner, famous author When it comes to the 600cc sportbike class, much is determined by the relative power a bike has over the others. Sorry to the other OEMs, but in this category you got beat by Team Green this year. It wouldn’t mean much if the ZX didn’t handle, but it does – and it also lost significant poundage this year. Combined with improved looks and finish quality, plus some of the best brakes in the business, it’s my choice for the best 600 this year. If the ZX really was going in my garage, I’ll take mine in Candy Surf Blue, bolt on a stylish aftermarket exhaust and look for risers that would lift the handlebars about an inch higher. –Kevin Duke, Editor-in-Chief Blah, blah, blah, GSX-R with a Power Commander and pipe. –Pete Brissette, recovering malcontent Duke’s Duds Pete’s Panoply Related Reading 2008 Supersport Shootout 2009 Honda CBR600RR C-ABS Review 2009 Kawasaki ZX-6R Review 2008 Suzuki GSX-R600 Review 2008 Yamaha R6 Review The post Church of MO: 2009 Supersport Racetrack Shootout appeared first on Motorcycle.com. Shift Vertex leather suit Arai RX7 Corsair helmet Shift Vertex gloves Alpinestars Supertech R boots Shift Vertex leather suit HJC FS-15 helmet Shift Vertex gloves Alpinestars S-MX Plus boots

It’s the most wonderful time of the year! We’ve just finished sifting through the past 12 months of articles to pick out our top 10 cafe racers of 2019. These are the cafe racers that had the biggest impact on both us and our readers. Some of them made the cut because of their dedication to the cafe racer ethos while others blew us away with their originality and expert levels of workmanship. When curating the list we also compared our choices to how each bike was received on our Facebook, Instagram and Pinterest pages by you, our readers. This ultimately resulted in a number 1 pick that we didn’t expect, but the people have spoken and who are we to argue.