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First Look

The Seiemmezzo Scrambler (SCR), available in Night Black and Navy Green, and the Seiemmezzo Street (STR), available in Fire Red, Smokey Anthracite, and Starlight White. An excellent selection of colour schemes that, combined with the attention for detail and the carefully designed visual lines, result in elegant and beautiful machines. Especially the Navy Green SCR with gold anodised forks, a brown seat, and silver accents is a treat to our eye. Let’s dive into it!

Common Base

Both models are based on the same steel trellis frame with aluminium swingarm and 650 twin engine. The engine puts out 47.5BHP @8250rpm and 54Nm of torque at 7000rpm, allowing for a top speed of 175km/h. The engine feels torquey and responsive throughout the range, if you keep up the revs . They both sport the same fully adjustable suspension setup provided by Kayaba, 120mm travel front and rear. Both sit at 810mm and round about 200kg (dry weight).

Both are safely slowed by the same 298mm Brembo dual disc front brakes with Bosch ABS.

 Behind the full LED headlight sits a very clean and clear 5” TFT screen with Bluetooth connectivity. It allows the rider to choose between two types of digital guages. One assigned to the STR, the other to the SCR. To access the setup, use the intuitive, backlit handlebar controls.

Differences

Where do they differ? Let’s take a look first.

The STR is more road focused with a narrow handlebar and 18” and 17” aluminium wheels with Pirelli Angel GT tyres. It has an elegant line with a slim tail section, appealing to a sporty and spirited audience.

The SCR has wider handlebars, like those on the 70’s British scramblers, 18” and 17” spoked tubeless rims with Pirelli MT60RS tyres, and a brown, ribbed, heritage seat. But what does this mean in terms of riding experience?

Riding Experience

While the SCR feels planted, yet plush, ready to tackle any kind of road surface, the STR feels a little harder, yet confident, and definitely more at home at very smooth surface.

This is solely due to the tyres. Both models have the exact same suspension setup with identical settings between the models we tested.

The wider handle bar on the SCR allows for a leisure, upright riding position and smooth corrections.

In contrast, the narrower STR handlebars invite a sporty body position and commitment to the curves.

At 185cm tall, the SCR seat, pegs, and tank dimples align perfectly. Though the STR required a few minutes of finding the most comfortable riding position, especially aligning thighs with the tank geometry. In short, both are an absolute joy to ride and a lot of bike for the money! The SCR will be available in the EU next month and will cost, depending on local taxes, between €7350 and €8590. The STR comes in at €400 less.

And there is a hint for an even more exciting future! 2024 is supposed to be the year for a new 1200cc EURO5 compatible engine that will be used in 3 models: SuperAdventure, Milano, and Super Scrambler! Until then, we would happily explore the EU curves on these great bikes!

(Photos by Florian Meuret, Rodolphe Herpet, and Casper van der Ven)

The post Moto Morini, the Comeback! Seiemmezzo SCR and STR First Ride Reviews appeared first on BikeBrewers.com.

    The new Royal Enfield HNTR350, aiming to win over a younger audience

With this model, Royal Enfield tries to make motorcycling and commuting by motorcycle accessible and attractive to a younger audience. Think new riders, students, young working professionals, perhaps even as a second, lighter motorcycle. The lines remind of us of the British heritage. It would not look out of place in a line-up with the moderns classics like Triumph.

Riding experience

The little thumper produces 27Nm of torque and 22 BHP of power that are predominantly experienced through the mid-range of revolutions. It is third in line after the very successful Classic and Meteor model (check out our First Ride Review and this Starship custom). It is based on same the 350cc J engine. This single cylinder bike has an entirely different geometry and thus creates a very different riding experience. The reduced rake (25°) and trail (94mm) combined with the 1370mm wheel base make the bike feel light and agile, perfect for city riding. The motorcycles we rode were brand new. Pushing them to their limits, testing peak power at 6100rpm, would have been disrespectful to the technology and torturing the machines. We will save that for another ride… ;)

It easily climbs through the revs and the black dial speedo with white numbers clearly displays increasing velocities. 60km/h to 100km/h in fourth gear is a comfortable acceleration without discomforting vibrations. These do show up at 80km/h in fifth gear, so do not short shift it!

That said, the engine is very forgiving in second and third due to the heavy flywheel. This makes it very suitable for city riding. Unpredictable and abrupt city traffic stops are the responsibility of the 300mm single front and 270mm rear brake rotor. Combined with the dual channel ABS, these do the job.

Room for improvement

Room for improvement can be found in the suspension and in the exhaust. The cobblestone pavement in the historical centre of Dijon and surrounding villages, and the French country lanes did put the suspension to the test. Observations: the linear rear shocks are rather hard, the front suspension is rather soft, a little unbalanced. Though, rear suspension upgrades can be performed rather easily at home. As to the exhaust, for city riding it is, to our taste, too loud and not a pleasant, well-rounded thump one would expect from a little thumper. Plus, I experienced that with a very average EU size 42 I found the heel of my boot touching the exhaust more often than not. A small nuisance, yet I image it to be worse for people with larger feet. Taken both into account, if I would own one of these, I would swap the exhaust for an aftermarket (slip-on) exhaust as soon as they would become available.

Make it your own!

Besides the exhaust and suspension, other work on the bike to do at home would be personalisation of your HNTR. And this is where it becomes even more exciting. We try to provide a platform to inspire motorcycle owners to personalise and customise their motorcycles. Therefore, we are happy to see that RE offers a plethora of accessories. These range from mirrors and indicators to engine guards and tail tidies that are easily bolted on and maintain the warranty. Especially the tail tidy with the ribbed seat will make it look very elegant in our eyes! There are two themes available from the dealers, urban and suburban, that include a selection of the accessories.

The suburban comes with black crash guards, a (although somewhat flimsy) pannier plus rack, touring mirrors, a pillion back rest.

The urban caters more to the (undoubtedly inspired by café racers) roadster image, a fly screen, a level seat, LED indicators, engine guards, and bar end mirrors.

What plays a large role in the outstanding looks of the HNTR350 is the paintjob. It is available in 6 colours, divided into a single colour and two-tone series, called ‘dapper’ and ‘rebel’, respectively. The former includes white, ash, and grey, the latter blue/white, black/white, and red/black. Personally I tip my hat to RE for not making the same mistakes as many other motorcycle (gear) producers when aiming to engage women riders. They offer predominantly white/pink and black/pink colour schemes. These nicely painted petrol tanks hold 13 litres of fuel, good for a couple hundred kilometres with reported consumption of 2.63 L/100km.

In all, I had a great time riding this very fun motorcycle! It is excellent for its intended purpose, so it might just be that the hattrick is not too far off. Of course, we all look forward to seeing what you do with these cool little rippers when it comes to customisation!

(Photos by Florian Meuret and Rodolphe Herpet)

The post Is Royal Enfield going to score a hattrick? First ride with the HNTR350 appeared first on BikeBrewers.com.

True American iron

With that heritage in mind the Indian Roadmaster was a logical next step. To stay in tune with the inspiration of the Bavarian bikes dating back to the 1930’s, it was nice to be presented by Indian Motorcycle with their ‘Heritage Edition’.

All inclusive
Everything you can dream about is probably fitted to this machine! Starting with the very impressive ‘Thunderstroke’ heart which is no less than 116 cubic inches (1800 cc), also to be found in the Chief, the Chieftain and in the Springfield, the list of mouth-watering goodies just goes on forever.

According to Indian Motorcycle the Roadmaster was built for the riders looking for the ‘Gold Standard’ in comfort and ride. This Roadmaster is adorned with chrome finishes, Ride Command with Apple CarPlay® integration, rear cylinder deactivation and a variety of ride modes.

Standard amenities include multi-setting heated seats and grips, remote-locking saddlebags and trunk, adjustable passenger floorboards, ABS, cruise control, keyless ignition, automatic tyre pressure monitoring, full LED lighting, and lower fairings with adjustable airflow vents.

“Can we get you anything else sir?”
Well, how about: Metzeler Cruisetec® tyres, and a push-button adjustable windshield? Standard amenities across the entire Roadmaster lineup include remote-locking saddlebags and trunk with over 140 litres of combined storage, adjustable passenger floorboards, ABS, cruise control, keyless ignition, tyre pressure monitoring and full LED lighting.

Furthermore, the power buttons on the Roadmaster, just like on the above mentioned models, have been relocated to the switch cube on the handlebars to accommodate a new 12-volt charge port on the dash. The charge port conveniently provides riders with an opportunity to plug in and connect to a wider range of electronics.

Phew! And I though my Christmas wish list was long.

On the road
After taking this all in it was time to hit the road. Having just given back the BMW R18 Transcontinental it was quite a change to get on the Roadmaster. Whereas it took a full day to get really comfortable with the huge BMW, the Roadmaster, which is equally gigantic, felt easy to handle right from the start.

Of course it is a bulky machine not necessarily built for Dutch country roads. Its natural habitat is more the American highway, but still there was no instant at all that it felt uncomfortable or out of place.

It is also nice to experience the reactions of other road users when they see the impressive front fairing of the Roadmaster appear in their rear-view mirrors. Cars automatically move to the side of the road to make room and you see many heads turned towards the machine to admire the beautiful finishes.

Broad power band
Did I already cite the smooth power delivery and loads of torque available at crazy low revs? Being the hooligan that I am, I could not resist throttling the engine at times, just to experience the full power of its roaring heart.

The Roadmaster comes with a dual-disc front and a single-disc rear brake arrangement (with ABS). There is sufficient stopping power available, although it feels a bit less direct compared to the BMW. With its low and wide handlebars, large seat and spacious floorboards, all Roadmaster models should fit the vast majority of European riders comfortably. And thanks to the adjustable windshield, wind protection is easily customizable. I played around with the electronics to raise and lower the shield while riding. In urban environments I found it better to ride with the shield down as the upper edge was exactly in view when sitting up straight.

Autumn comes with crisp weather and the heated grips and seats (even for passengers) did definitely make the long miles go by far more comfortably as well on shorter and even colder rides.

Coffee and cake the American way
On a chilly Saturday morning I decided to ride to a friend who lives in the south of the country. He is not very well unfortunately and this was a great excuse to cover over 400 kilometres on one day, just for coffee, cake, good old riding memories and a laugh.

What a magnificent experience it was! The Indian challenges the pilot to just keep on riding and riding until there is no horizon in sight anymore. It was a Royal Ride that day and I felt like a King riding this high powered motorcycle all week.

Choices
Life is all about selecting the paths to go on and following your passions to lead the way in life.
Choosing the right bike for the right moment is one of them.

Don’t forget to ‘work less and ride more’. Life is too short not to.

Photo credits: Ron Betist

The post 2021 Indian Roadmaster Heritage appeared first on BikeBrewers.com.

Superlative
To top off three consecutive weeks of riding big (or should I say GIANT?) bikes I was offered the opportunity to test the 2021 Triumph Rocket 3R for a full seven days.
And what a week it turned out to be!

The prelude to this week was composed by the BMW Motorrad R18 Transcontinental and the Indian Roadmaster Heritage (post to be published). Both machines are fitted out with 1.800cc engines and pack an impressive amount of ‘oomph!’ in the torque department. The horse stable is quite overcrowded too.

I am happy to ride nearly any bike but there are those that give you extra pleasure. The BMW and the Indian are sort of similar bikes in spite of the totally different styles. I try to adopt myself and my riding style as much as I can to fit to the bike I am testing. On most occasions I managed to keep my inner demons and the hooligan safely locked away in the panniers of those bikes, but the Triumph is a naked bike without such storage options.

Do I like it?
When Triumph launched (pun intend) the Rocket back in 2004 the whole world thought the engineers had gone completely bonkers. How much fun these guys must have had when they were designing that machine though.

Truth be told, being a caféracer afficionado, I was never a big fan of the Rocket. I just did not see the point in creating such a monster cruiser with a rear tyre fatter than fitted on most cars and a stonking 2.3-litre engine between your thighs. As said those engineers must have created it to shock and surprise – and they managed to do just that. It was impressive and scary. Still leaving the happy few with a whopping grin as they summoned its ungodly torque.

3 times lucky
With all of the above in mind I was never really tempted to try this bike out. But with the new 2021 ‘3’ design, which is a major improvement in my view, the time was right to swing my leg over the seat and hit the launch button.
It’s an imposing € 30,000+ motorbike that comes in two editions – the R, and the more laid-back, long-distance GT. The latter comes with footpegs mounted forwards , a decent windscreen and a pillion backrest over the back wheel.

Powertrain
Both Rocket 3 ‘R’ and ‘GT’ trims share the same powertrain. Triumph are in a league of their own, fitting the largest production motorcycle engine in any motorcycle: 2500 cc’s over the previous 2300 cc’s.
While increasing the number of cc’s, the madmen at the Hinckley R&D department managed to shave off nearly 17 kg’s compared to the Rocket’s predecessors thanks to all-new aluminium frame. It weighs 291kg without any fluids. It’s still a substantial chunk of metal. The motorcycle now produces class-leading 167 hp at 6,000rpm (redlining at 7.000 rpm) and a mammoth 221Nm of torque at 4,000 rpm.

All this power goes through a six-speed helical gearbox with a ‘Torque Assist’ hydraulic clutch. The bike I rode was fitted with a quick-shifter, which is as an optional accessory. When called upon, the horses in the stable are led to the rear wheel using a longitudinal shaft drive to give the rider all the fun he (or she) is ready to handle.

Styling
Triumph gave the Rocket 3 the limited edition treatment with only 1000 examples of each of the R & GT variants globally. Upping the exclusivity game, each Black edition Triumph will receive a Certificate of Authenticity and a customizable motorcycle VIN for each bike.

Moreover, for an already incredible-looking motorcycle in the flesh, the attention to detail has been taken to the upper echelons, giving it an even more menacing appearance. Common between both variants is carbon fibre front mudguard, completely blacked out exhaust fenders, heat shields, end caps, and an exquisite crinkle back powder coating on the engine’s intake covers. Besides, Triumph further enhanced the bike with the front mudguard holders, headlight bezels, fly-screen, radiator cowl, and so on.

The list doesn’t stop there as Triumph’s designers gave a black anodized finish to the bike’s handlebar clamps, yokes, riders, fork lowers, brake and clutch pedals, rider footrests, heel guards, and the innovative folding pillion footrests

Triumph really attended to even the smallest of details and managed to put the icing on the cake with the black anodized paint job and a magnificent aluminium finish on the bar-end mirrors.
All the similarities aside, the main differences between the R & GT variants include a slightly sportier stance for R with the mid-positioned footpegs, wide handlebars, and a matte black livery with a blacked-out Triumph logos and a glossy white stripe running down the centre of the fuel tank.

For the riders who are more adult than me, the GT variant has more relaxed ergonomics for the rider & pillion with forward-set footpegs, an adjustable windshield, an easy-to-reach handlebar with heated grips. Passengers are cared for by mounting an adjustable backrest.

Furthermore, it gets a triple black paint scheme with ‘50 shades of black’ on the fuel tank to distinguish itself from the sporty sibling.

Ride baby! Ride!
I mentioned before this is an imposing bike. Definitely not fit for novice riders. Still, once you are on the seat, is less scary instantly. The seat is mounted low, and the weight is buried low in the chassis, so although it takes an effort to get it off the side stand, it feels nicely balanced. The engine fires up and wobbles the bike gently to the left-hand side

As I set off on my first flight on the Rocket, it immediately felt like home. It is a gentle giant when you treat it as such. It is an amazingly easy bike to ride. It really handles like a Street Triple. The engineers have done an incredibly good job there as well. Everything about it is impressive as you’d expect with this much torque, pulling away is simply a case of easing the clutch lever out. My brain told me to short-shift up into second gear before giving it the spurs, but my inner demon was hitting the adrenaline pump switch. It was not before long that my hooligan persona was the pillion passenger, whispering sweet nothings in my ear…

Fast, faster fastest
There are more than enough electronics aboard to make you feel confident enough to open the throttle once in second gear. That’s where the band starts playing! Before you realize the front wheel is no longer touching the tarmac and the 24cm-wide rear (240/50 R16!!) tire digs in for traction. As a result you launch yourself forward at warp speed. The fact that the Rocket pulls this mind-bending, vision-distorting trick from just 2,000rpm onwards, makes for an utterly hilarious ride. You just feel like you’re are on a drag strip constantly and you are just in it for the ride, hanging on for dear life.

It is hardly surprising the Rocket 3 has set a Guinness World Record of 2.73 seconds to 0-100 km/h.
Me being me, I got overly self-confident rapidly. While on a slightly wet highway, cruising at around 120/130 km/h, I shifted down and hit the throttle to overtake the car in front of me. Suddenly all warning lights on the dashboard flared up as the rear started twisting just before the minions in the traction control department decided to help me out.

WHOAA! That was an exciting moment. Yes, the torque is truly unbelievable. Never before did I experience such powers on a bike.

Who needs one?
I asked that same question when riding the BMW and the Indian too.
The amount of money you’d spend on bikes like that is extreme. All of them are in the € 30.000+++ segment. The BMW and the Indian go up to € 40.000 easily once you start selecting the available options.

The Indian Roadmaster Heritage and the BMW Transcontinental are ‘luxury liners’. You can have miles for breakfast and be home for dinner still after a full day of riding, still feeling quite relaxed. Answering the ‘why’ question with the Triumph Rocket 3 was much harder. It is not a bike you take out to commute on a daily basis, nor is it a machine built to go on long roadtrips (I’d do it still, just for the fun of it). So who is this meant for?

Even my contacts at Triumph had some trouble coming up with a defining response. However we all seem to agree that is a fun machine for those who are in it ‘for the ride’ as Triumph puts it in their corporate slogan. If you are lucky enough to sit on a lot of ‘disposable income’ and want to stand out from the crowd, this is the definite motorcycle to go for.

If you are such a lucky person, I can only say: ‘go for it! You only live once!’

Looking ahead
This winter we will be following our friend Bas Kentrop at Roké Motors.
He is an amazing mechanic who managed to create a monster supercharged Triumph Thruxton R a few years ago. This bike packs an impressive 175 Nm and 171 Bhp.

We rode that machine back in 2017. We filmed the experience and made it one of our best viewed clips on our YouTube channel. Unfortunately the sound of this beast was so loud, it just killed the microphone, which we only found out in post-production. Our video editor decided to add in a little piano music, much to the dismay of the majority of the viewers (just look at all those comments..). We will re-make this video in 2022 as we have retrieved the current owner. Including the real sound. Promise!

Anyway, Bas will be working on a supercharged version of the Rocket 3. Can it get any wilder than that we ask? Watch this space as we will give regular updates on the progress of this project and I will be road testing it in Spring of next year.

Until then, I will just enjoy the memories of my love affair with this standard Triumph Rocket 3.

 
All in all
The Rocket is a superb machine and more. It handles phenomenally, the power is awesome and you can enjoy the bike in any way you want. You can ride it as a cruiser or race it around. It is really up to you, your experience, your mood and your testosterone levels.
The setup of the fully adjustable Showa suspension is so well done that you’ll just ride the Rocket 3 like a regular street bike. It will tempt you to stick your elbows out and punch it into corners like a Speed Triple on steroids.

The riding position on the R model is relaxed and inviting you to just ride on. The brakes are magnificently strong. Those Brembo Stylemas are of superbike standards. They do their job very efficiently and you need them on a bike like this.

Yep, the rear brake is ripped from the front of a sports bike. And it’s a good thing too – you’ll want to use the back brake to settle it in corners and hammering it really helps bring you to a stop in a straight line, unlike on most bikes.
The Rocket gets the same TFT dashboard as mounted on the Triumph Scrambler 1200, and it has an 18-litre fuel tank which will get you just over 200 km’s. Unless you are like me of course. I needed a pit stop at around 180 km.

Electronics and other fun stuff
Being the top of the line model in Triumph’s line-up, the manufacturer fitted a whole suite of electronics to enhance the riding experience:
•Triumph Shift Assist (up and down quickshifter)
•Heated grips (standard on the Rocket 3 GT)
•Tire Pressure Monitoring system
•Advanced 6-axis Inertial Measurement Unit (IMU) measures the roll, pitch, yaw & acceleration rates of the bike in real-time and unlocks features such as Lean sensitive traction control and cornering ABS keeping the rider in safe hands at all times.
•Full-color TFT display instrument cluster.
•Preinstalled with Triumph’s ‘My Triumph’ app with support for smartphone music, calling, & navigation controls.
•Unique to Triumph motorcycles, you also get GoPro controls.
•Both motorcycles get 4 Riding modes: Road, Rain, Sport, and a Rider configurable mode to adjust throttle response and traction control.
•Added are Hill Hold Control, Cruise control, keyless ignition, steering lock, and fuel cap opening
•LED lighting all around with twin LED headlamps with integrated DRLs, LED tail lights, indicators, and a number plate light
•advanced lightweight aluminum frame.
•Suspension – Showa’s monoshock RSU with a piggyback reservoir at the rear and a massive 47mm Showa USD front forks with compression and rebound damping.
•Stopping power comes from Brembo Stylema ® radial monobloc 4 – piston calipers with two 320 mm dual discs and a never-before-seen four 4-piston Brembo caliper with a single 300 mm disc.
•Tires & rims: 150/50 17-inch Avon Cobra Chrome tires with a blacked-out 20-spoke cast alloy wheel at the front and an incredible 240/60 section R16 tire with an intricate cast alloy wheel at the back.
•Track+ and Protect+ tracking and alarm systems

details:
Manufacturer: Triumph Motorcycles
Astronaut: Ron Betist
Photography: Nubbs Sugrue
Helmet: Davida HelmetsJacket & jeans: REV’IT Urban
Boots: Stylmartin

The post Lost in space – Triumph Rocket 3 R road tested appeared first on BikeBrewers.com.

Having ridden Beemers for years I was quite used to the feeling, but to have a 900cc piston on each side was a whole new sensation.

As MotoShare and BMW Motorrad Benelux had teamed up to promote the R18 models. I was offered the opportunity to ride this giant for a week. Next thing I knew I was finding myself riding my ‘rear fender-less’ caféracer for an hour while avoiding cats and dogs falling from the sky in large quantities.What a start of my Monday morning!

Arriving in style but soaked to the bone at BMW Motorrad’s Fleet Services, I quickly wrapped up the paperwork and hopped on the R18 to speed to my next business meeting.

The rain was with me all the way for another hour while I was doing my utmost to get to grips with this battleship. Traditionally riding with a jet helmet, I had my goggles fogging up constantly. My very limited view turned my close encounter with this baby into a challenging ride, sweaty armpits included.

Learning curve
It took me about a day to get used to the BMW and its unique road behaviour, but that might well have been more between my ears than anywhere else. It’s the sheer size that may scare you off at first glance. When starting up the bike, it will greet you by wiggling its hips. Automatically you will find yourself immediately planting both feet firmly on the ground to create a sense of stability, but after a while, stopping at a traffic light will feel OK with just the right foot on the ground. It takes a bit of getting used to, that’s all. The R18 is much more of a Gentle Giant than you might expect.

Hooligan
I was riding the ‘option 719’ edition which comes with about all the extra’s (and more) you can think of. Anything you can imagine is added to the R18 making it utterly complete and always ready for long hauls. The storage space side cases are a bit limited by the speakers mounted in the lids, but leaves enough room to store stuff you may want to drag along on a longer ride. The top case is spacious and will let you squeeze in loads of goodies that don’t fit into the side cases.

The top case being the larger one, I decided to store my inner hooligan in that little dark cave. There was no room for him on this machine I figured. It was funny to experience the difference in attitude I had when riding this awesome machine. A sense of royalty if you will, stimulated by the reactions you get from other people on the road. The R18 is by no means a bike you will often see on the road and the Transcontinental is even more outlandish. You get a lot of second looks and passengers in cars giving you the thumbs up.

All of this will make you (at least this is the effect it had on me) sit up and have a face that beams with confidence. You have it all under control and you are having the time of you life. No hooligan in sight.

Pandora’s box
However…… after a couple of days riding it felt as if the machine and I had grown really fond of each other. We started playing around and curves yet again became the usual invitations to twist the throttle. The top case must have been Pandora’s box, and I must have given my inner demon a chance to escape. Together we challenged the R18 to a duel and experienced the might of the 1800 cc engine. Floorboards were scraping the tarmac on a regular basis as the mutual respect between rider and machine continued to grow.

Straight as an arrow
The steering damper is an accessory that added a lot of stability to the road handling at high speeds straights (we hit 170 km/h easily) as well on fast corners at around 130 km/h. The signature on the bike reads ‘made in Berlin’. It refers to the heritage of the R18, but it has the Bavarian seal of modern day quality that makes riding a blissful experience.

In spite of its size the R18 it is surprisingly nimble and has a very short turning circle, making it easy to manoeuvre even in tight urban spaces. Unfortunately these bikes are wide because of their front fender and the cases in the back, so I had to give up on my habit of crawling forward in the city between rows of cars to be the one on pole position at the traffic lights.

Lane splitting is something else however. When the ‘Batwing’ appears in people’s rear view mirror the immediate reaction is to veer sideways to let you through. Which is kind of nice. Lane splitting works on highways when there is enough room the keep a safe distance from the cars on either side. On smaller roads the bike is just too wide for comfort.

Road side reactions
The response from people you meet on the way vary enormously. The majority will admire the BMW and comment on the way the German manufacturer has designed this build. As it should be, every little detail is just right. And, yes indeed, the Bayerische Motoren Werke have done a damned good job as you might expect.

But then there are the fans of American Iron. They will claim the R18 Transcontinental is nothing more than a rip off of one of their beloved brands. Also they will complain about the footboards being mounted too much in the center which they view as less comfortable compared to the forward positioning of the controls on American machines. This being caused by the two gigantic cylinder heads sticking out on either side of the frame.

I did not experience it as being more uncomfortable. And those cylinders, with the two bottles of Coke vigorously swinging left and right on the inside, are a very pleasant sight, also when riding. In response to the remarks on the position of the feet I’ll add that riding those big V-twin bikes, especially in the Summer, can sometimes become unpleasant with the heat from the rear cylinder warming up your inner thighs beyond comfort.

But as always it is a matter of very personal preference.

Technical data on this particular R18 Transcontinental:

• It comes with a package called ‘option 719’** which includes lovely extra’s such as exquisite special paint, hand striping, meticulously hand-stitched seats and loads of other stuff
• They also added a whole list of accessories such as:
o Hill start control
o Headlight Pro
o Central locking
o Reverse gear (electric)
o Active cruise control
o Automatic tire pressure sensors
o Intelligent Emergency call
o Marshal Gold series Stage 2 Sound blaster (magnificent sound!)

Special thanks to:
Bikes:
BMW Motorrad
Apparel:
Lifestyle Motowear
Photography:
Gijs Paradijs

The post How To have fun with two bottles of Coke – BMW R18 Transcontinental appeared first on BikeBrewers.com.

BMW R18 – 1800cc cruiser

Until you start reading the spec sheet, and realize that there is something quite provocative about the R18. To begin with, there’s that massive engine. 1800cc boxer twin engine to be precise, still air-cooled, but with a little bit of help from an external oil-cooler. The 90hp of peak power at a lowish 4750 rpm isn’t too bad considering the displacement, but the 158Nm of torque at a ridiculous 3000 rpm is what gets our hearts pump faster; this we gotta try!

And try we did. BMW Motorrad in the Netherlands invited us to try out their new, dressed-down version of the R18, called ‘First Edition’, and the full-fat version of the R18 known as the ‘Trans Continental’. This review is about the R18 ‘First Edition’. The review on the R18 ‘Trans Continental’ will follow next.

First impression of the R18 ‘First Edition’
Wow, this thing is massive! That was the first thing that came to mind when I saw R18. It’s that engine that blows your mind. 900cc on each side, the barrels are huge compared to what we’re used to. The black color with white pinstriping is simple and elegant at the same time. It looks timeless on the R18. Then there are the beautiful chrome polished fishtail exhaust pipes; they look incredibly beautiful; we wish more manufacturers would put them on cruiser! What BMW did really well with the R18, is hide the ugly catalytic converters underneath the engine, between the exhaust headers, out of eye-sight. Wire-spoked wheel, with stainless steel spokes and black rims add to that distinguished look and feel. But the ‘piece-de-resistance’ has to be that exposed shaft drive. It’s so incredibly old-school, we fell head over heels for it. That’s how you build a retro bike!

Second impression
When you swing your leg over the seat, you feel you are seated on something special. There is one minimalistic speedo, but make no mistake, it has an LCD display that allows you to access information most companies would be jealous of! The R18 is brought to life in a similar way like most modern cars and motorcycles. You keep the key in your pocket, and simply press the power button on the right controls. There are 3 ride modes from which you can choose: Rock, Roll, and Rain. We had to guess and search up what Rock and Roll did, but there was very little doubt about the Rain-mode. This impacts the throttle response and traction control in a pleasant and non-intrusive matter. Rock would be similar to ‘Sport’ mode on most bike, and Roll is the equivalent to ‘Normal’ or ‘Touring’. We kept the R18 on Rock, because it allowed for a very useable throttle response.

Third impression
Picking the bike from it’s side stand immediately gives away the elephant on the room; 345 kilograms of wet weight. Maneuvering the R18 at stand still is difficult to say the least. Getting the bike rolling will help, so you hit the start button. First thought: This bike rocks! Quite literally! The slightest opening of the throttle results in a massive swing to the right, caused by the inertia exerted by the flywheel, which must be huge. That’s also when the first lesson was learned: you keep both feet firmly on the ground when you pull up in first gear. If you forget that, you risk tipping the bike over to the left by the sheer force of the flywheels’ movement. But, as predicted, once the mass is in motion, the R18 hides its weight pretty well. A neat feature the R18 has was the ‘reverse’ gear, which needs to be operated manually. This helps with moving the bike backwards without looking like you’re hitting the gym, if needed.

King of the road
The sound the exhaust produces when you open up the throttle is magnificent. It reminds me of the sound a turbo-charged V8 diesel engine makes; deep, short, throaty. With a similar powerband too! A small twist of the right wrist results in incredible acceleration. It feels as if the road is moving underneath your tires, and not the other way around! The R18 invites for some serious mile-munching. The handlebars aren’t too far of a reach, the seat is very comfortable, but the seating position leaves much to desire. If you have a larger shoe size than 43 (Size 10), you’ll struggle with keeping your feet from hitting the cylinders and air-intake. You want to sit with your feet a bit further to the front, but you can’t. Instead, it looks like you’re sitting a on a small camping chair. Too bad, because it could have made a massive improvement on the ride quality. The same goes for the suspension. The front Showa fork works well under most circumstances, but the rear ZF shock with its limited travel of 90mm only (!) can be a bit too harsh on anything that isn’t silky smooth tarmac. The brakes are good for such a massive bike, but they’re not nearly as good as the radial Brembo brakes that can be found on Moto Guzzi’s 1400 California. The 16-liter fuel tank provided a sufficient range for comfortable riding without getting range anxiety, we averages around 16 km/l or 38 US MPG under mixed riding conditions. Rides of up to 2 hours or done effortlessly, especially with nice comforts like cruise-control and heated grips, which worked flawlessly.

Verdict
Overall, the BMW R18 ‘First Edition’ was a very pleasant surprise, to the point where we are foreseeing a renaissance of the custom cruisers. We’ve seen revivals of retro style motorcycle before, such as café racers and scramblers. Could the cruiser be the next big thing? If so, then BMW has set the standard pretty high as far as we’re concerned. Just like with any other new BMW, there is an accessories catalogue that seems to be endless with exclusive and high-quality special equipment, were a potential buyer can opt for features such as cruise control, special paint, special wheels, heated comfort seat and so on. With a starting price of just below 28,000 Euro in the Netherlands, prices can go up to nearly 40,000 euro. That’s a lot of money, question is if the R18 is worth it. We’ll let the market decide, but we sure would love to see these beasts more often on the road.

Photographs:
Gijs Paradijs
BikeBrewers – Adnane

BMW Motorrad Nederland
MotoShare

The post Review: 2021 BMW R18 ‘First Edition’ appeared first on BikeBrewers.com.

This is in response of the influx of invitations from manufacturers to test-ride and review their new models, helmets and clothing. This has inspired us to include more, what we like to call ‘petrolhead lifestyle’ articles on our website. We believe that it is an excellent opportunity for us to give our followers a broader look on what is going on in the world of motorcycles. We try to take a slightly different approach when we write about our experiences. Staying away from all the deep digging technical stuff we try to express our emotions when we ride something new or different.

Of course we will always stay loyal to our core principle, and that is custom built motorcycles. But in our view the spice of life is variety.

In the article below our team member Ron was invited for some serious riding in Spain. He always claimed never to be seen riding on adventure bikes, but he came back a changed man.

Enjoy his coning out!

Editorial team

Retro guy
Retro styled custom motorcycles are mostly designed for riding in urban areas. Being a huge fan of retro- and vintage styled motorcycles, you would probably expect me to become very excited at the prospect of riding a Kawasaki Z900RS rather than the Versys 1000 S model of the same brand.

That’s a very logical train of thought as I am mostly known for my involvement with the retro and custom scene. However, things changed dramatically after spending a full day of riding on twisty country roads in Cataluña, Spain.

1000+ curves in 9 hours
On invitation by Kawasaki I took part in the ‘Kawasaki Versys Experience’ which is a Kawasaki Europe organised event in collaboration with the CromRide. The CromRide celebrated its fifth anniversary this year and is more or less a ‘local Catalan ride’ organized by Joan Martí Utset and his team at Crom Events. When I say ‘local’ I really mean regional as riders come from all over Cataluña and other parts of Spain to participate.

The ride itself is a 12-hour, 570km and 2000+ curves challenge, leading riders along awesome roads and enthralling views across the mountains of the Pyrenees. In partnership with Crom Events Kawasaki had organized a ‘Versys Experiential Event’. 18 journalists from various European countries were invited to try out the 2021 Kawasaki Versys 1000 S during a full day of riding. In our case it meant a ‘light version’ of 10 hours, 370km and 1000+ curves to be conquered.

Versys 1000
It was my very first encounter with the Versys 1000 S on the day we set out on this 370 km journey. There have been the odd courtships with adventure bikes in my 45-year motorcycling experience, but never as serious a ride as the one I was embarking on that day.

I have an open mind when it comes to riding motorcycles and I get easily excited by anything motorised with two wheels. As long as there is torque and speed involved, you can count me in!

The Kawasaki is an impressive machine from whatever angle you look at it. If you see it approaching in the rear view mirror you will let it pass rather than challenge it to a duel. The bike has some aggressiveness built into its front end, but the overall design is classy, modern and distinguished. It has ‘ready to take you wherever you want to go’ written all over it.

Kawasaki’s Versys 1000 S and SE are clearly designed to offer maximum riding enjoyment across a wide variety of street riding situations. Whether riding solo or two-up, around the corner or around the globe, this fun-to-ride sport-touring bike’s combination of a highly responsive In-Line Four engine, which is clearly tuned for flexibility, and a nimble chassis that is fitted with dynamic suspension, it is sure to have riders smiling broadly in their helmets. Even though I was wearing a full face adventure helmet for the occasion, I am sure my grin was easily detectable from afar.

Rider position
With the prospect of having to ride for 10 hours or more, I was hoping for more comfort than what I was used to on all the retro and vintage machines I regularly ride. I was pleasantly surprised by its relaxed, upright riding position which offered a high level of machine control, and was complemented by a highly comfortable seat and good wind protection, making it easy to spend a long time in the saddle.

Talking about level of control; that was something I was and still am Kawasaki very grateful for. The ‘local boys’ I encountered, who were also participating in the CromRide at points where the two routes intermingled, were nose-diving ‘full throttle’ into each bend we encountered. It goes without saying that my testosteron shouted at me to go for the pursuit, but I was no match for them. The clear disadvantage of insufficient mountain road experience and being new to all those curves, they clearly knew what they were doing. They probably new these roads as well as the back of their hands.

Just the bike and I
Leaving their backs for what they were, I decided to opt for an experience with just me and the Versys 1000 S. Still riding slightly faster than what is legally allowed, the Versys and I developed quite the love affair along the way. We hardly encountered any other vehicles for most of the day, it was easy to focus on establishing a true relationship between me and the Versys. I was impressed with its beauty, its sure-footedness along those curvy country roads, but perhaps mostly, by the ample amount of torque available in all the gears. The admiration must have been mutual, as the Kawasaki was clearly satisfied with my handling and speed at which I thrusted the bike through the Pyrenees mountains.

Most noticeable was the forgiveness of the machine when it came to making stupid braking mistakes at the end of leg one, just before lunch. After a great start in the morning and having a lot of fun, my empty stomach and lack of caffeine clearly put me back into the ‘consciously incompetent’ quadrant of the matrix. There were a couple of hairy moments when I braked at the wrong moment, but the Versys took control and led us safely through those corners.

The Kawasaki Versys 1000 comes standard with 3 different ride-modes: sport, road and rain. In the ‘road’ mode there is more than sufficient power readily available. Switching to ‘Sport’ will make the Versys loose the woollen jacket and show its ‘wolf power’. Quite the difference and it is good to have a choice according to your personal mood.

After lunch dip
Our lunch stop was scheduled at the ‘Hostatgeria Restaurant Santuari de Montgrony’ somewhere high up in the mountains in a location that can only be reached via a dedicated passage way, ending in a ‘cul de sac’. There, our hosts were waiting for us. While sharing the delicious food, it was also time to compare notes with fellow members of the press. It was very clear that all of them were as impressed with the Versys as I was, and we were all looking forward to the second part of the ride. Some of them were afraid of an ‘after lunch dip’, but with the adrenalin rushing through my veins there was nothing of that sort on my part.

I had gone through a steep learning curve in the morning. But with over 45 years of riding experience I am still a quick learner and for the remaining 180 kilometres, I really got into a flow. With time not being a factor, it was just the road, the uninterrupted succession of exciting curves, the Versys 1000 S and myself for the next five hours. What a glorious feeling.

Looking back
I started this post by stating that I am not really an ‘adventure bike’ guy. I retract those words now. I most definitely am! The Kawasaki Versys 1000 has managed to convert me to the conviction that there is tons of excitement and fun in riding this type of motorcycle, especially on roads like we were challenged to ride that day.

In short; The Kawasaki Versys 1000 is definitely a bike I will be adding to the stable. It has everything you are looking for in a bike that you want to take for a ride which is more than the occasional tour in your own country. It will seduce you to take the ‘long way home’ each time you climb on board or perhaps add a few extra days to an international trip.

It is a reliable companion which comes with a complete package of electronic gear to help you enjoy the ride even more.

Final conclusion in one word: YES!

Technical data:

Dimensions
Overall length: 2,270 mm
Overall width: 950 mm
Overall height: 1,530 mm / 1,490 mm (High/Low position)
Wheelbase: 1,520 mm
Road clearance: 150 mm
Seat height: 840 mm

Curb mass
SE: 257 kg
S: 255 kg
Fuel tank capacity: 21 litres

Performance
Max. power: 88.2 kW {120 PS} / 9,000 min-
Max. torque: 102.0 N·m {10.4 kgƒ·m} / 7,500 min

Engine
Type: Liquid-cooled 4-stroke In-Line Four
Valve system: DOHC, 16 valves
Bore x Stroke: 77.0 x 56.0 mm
Displacement: 1,043 cm3

Kawasaki Versys 1000
CromRide
CromRide – Instagram
CromEvents

The post Retro Rider vs. Adventure Addict appeared first on BikeBrewers.com.

Winter ride
For this kind of mileage and in the middle of winter, I had to be smart about the ride I was going to choose and decided to look into the touring segment.
But what is a touring motorcycle if I may ask?
A touring bike is built for riding the wide-open roads and often has a very powerful engine with lots of storage and protection. The stronger the engine, the easier it is to carry weight as these bikes tend to be big and heavy!

We love Indian
Fortunately at BikeBrewers we have a great relationship with Indian Motorcycles and I have been testing bikes for their Spanish division over a year now. I have gone through the 2019 FTR range and even tried out their custom cruiser Springfield with its 1800cc monster engine.
So, when explaining my trip, they kindly offered to lend me a big bike with a big engine.
I was awarded the ultimate challenge or better yet, the ultimate pleasure spurring the spanking new 2021 Roadmaster Dark Horse wearing its very dark dress and a complete complement of touring equipment including cruise control, plush air adjustable single-shock rear suspension, Apple Carplay and three large cases (total storage: 142L).
Pure luxury for a long road trip!

Big Boy
However, the best part of the 2021 Indian Roadmaster is its improved engine with the new Thunder Stroke 116ci (1,890cc). A powerhouse that is meant to keep power levels up in the face of more restrictive emissions requirements!
On the Jett Tuning dyno, this roughly 5-percent increase in volume has resulted in more power at the rear wheel, to the tune of 75.9 horsepower at 4,200 rpm and 105.8 lb-ft of torque at an astoundingly low 2,000 rpm —. Talk about a stump puller! Yeah man!

Come rain come shine
I left Madrid on a rainy Sunday and rode over 500km non-stop. The Thunder Stroke 116 has a surplus of power with great pulse feel and an enormously satisfying rumble!
The Roadmaster can make a brisk pass with a single downshift. Shifting the 6-speed transmission is clean with a decisive “thunk” going into gear that is common to the big V-twin engines.
With its modern streamlined fairing and electric windshield, I was fully protected from the rain and rode to Barcelona quite comfortably, smiling all along and listening to the awesome audio set.

Meetings, bloody meetings
While working around Barcelona, I was a bit hesitant to use the Roadmaster in the busy streets of the Catalan capital with its 421kg and huge engine generating lots of heat. But hey, I didn’t come all this way to move around by foot.
To my surprise, it was a blast! The Thunder Stroke has a rear cylinder deactivation designed to reduce engine and exhaust heat when the engine gets hot and the bike is stopped. So little heat there.
The Roadmaster is also equipped with Indian’s highly functional super easy-to-use Ride Command infotainment system and its 7-inch glove-friendly touchscreen, navigation, Bluetooth and gigawatt audio with four speakers. It even has an FM antenna which I find hilarious for the 21st century.

On the road again
After a few days, I left Barcelona to go down south via the Mediterranean coast via the famous scenic road called ‘El Garraf’, a small winding road leading you up the cliffs and hills into the natural park of Garraf.
This Roadmaster has an appetite for curves thanks to its aluminium chassis and low centre of gravity.

During the rest of the trip, I mostly rode side roads enjoying the twisted Spanish scenery. These roadways are a real treat because they are deserted. Luckily most of the highways in Spain are toll free, so no incentive for car drivers to look for alternatives, leaving the secondary roads to us bikers!
I really enjoyed the Indian Roadmaster during this trip with its ride-by-wire and three riding modes (Tour, Standard, Sport). I never felt the need to ride in anything except Sport mode, which provides a great throttle response topped with a deeper sound system … always very satisfying!

Hot seat
I did get some warm weather toward the end of the trip, so I decided to use the virtues of the new ClimaCommand Rogue seat. Believe it or not, you can both heat and cool, just dial in your needs. Several minutes later, you will feel the benefits of temperature control butt-comfort.

With the blacked-out finishes, that rough American look and just enough chrome, the Roadmaster Dark Horse brings a modern yet aggressive attitude to Indian Motorcycle’s premium touring segment.

If I could have a bike for each of my needs, the Roadmaster would definitely be one of my touring bikes.

Special thanks to: Indian Motorcycles Spain

Photography: Gonzalo Mártin aka enigma

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