Bikesrepublic

Amirul Azreen

Yamaha best-selling model to date, the MT-07, was given an extensive upgrade for 2021, including a new bodywork and a revised 689cc parallel-twin motor.

Thanks to a 270-degree crankshaft, the MT-07 delivers a similar exhaust note of a V-Twin configuration. This also resulted in owners seeking aftermarket exhaust to amplify the sound and increase power delivery.

Italian exhaust manufacturer SC-Project has just introduced a new Euro5 compliant SC1-S full system for the 2021 MT-07.

Interestingly, while SC-Project has a reputation for producing a downright obnoxious exhaust sound, the SC1-S offers just the right balance between socially acceptable and loud.

According to the company, the SC1-S uses a two-into-one arrangement mated to a slip-on exhaust at the end.

Frankly, not only does the exhaust look sleek, but it also increases the overall ‘badass’ element of the MT-07 compared to the stock underbelly exhaust. More importantly, it sounds better than the stock, especially at a higher rev range.

Moving on to the price, the new SC1-S is available for USD1,733 (RM7.1k).

The Kawasaki Ninja 1000SX received an extensive update in 2020 with a revised engine to meet the Euro5 homologation, new 6-axis Bosch IMU and ride-by-wire technology.

However, Team Green decided to offer a host of updates for the 2022 Ninja 1000SX.

The 4th-generation Ninja 1000SX now features a four-in-one exhaust, new aerodynamic fairing, radial-mount front brake-callipers, horizontal back-link suspension and a revised quickshifter as standard.

Kawasaki also increased the level of comfort with a plushier seat and extra adjustment for the windshield to optimize airflow.

The new Ninja 1000SX also features new 56-litre luggage, enough to accommodate riders and pillion belongings.

 

Other exciting features include:

  • electronic cruise control
  • integrated power mods
  • cornering management function
  • KTRC traction control
  • supersport-level ABS
  • Kawasaki Rideology app
  • TFT display

According to Kawasaki, the new Ninja 1000SX is available in Emerald Blazed Green and Metallic Matte Graphenesteel Gray.

The Honda CB500F, CBR500R and CB500x gained new updates for 2022

Honda officially announced new updates for the 500cc range, including the CB500F, CBR500R and CB500X for 2022.

22YM HONDA CB500F

All three motorcycles gained a new 41mm Showa Separate Function Fork-Big Piston(SFF-BP) like its bigger sibling, the CBR650R and CB650R.

The updates also feature a new 296mm dual front disc replacing the single-disc set up on the previous generation CB500X and paired with a set of Nissin radial 2-piston callipers with ABS.

22YM HONDA CB500X

Meanwhile, the reliable 500cc twin-cylinder is now updated with PGM-FI electronic injection, which helps improve torque delivery.

Interestingly, the entire 500cc range also received a lighter swingarm that offers greater rigidity that helps improve handling and grip.

Since its introduction in 2013, Honda has sold over 106,000 units of the 500cc range across Europe.

Maverick Vinales has decided to race in next week Aragon GP with Aprilia Racing after just a two day testing with the RS-GP.

Vinales admitted he felt comfortable with the V4 machine despite spending most of his career in the world championship with a Japanese inline-four motorcycle.

“When I arrived, I felt tremendous pressure, and I was nervous because I had spent so much time on a different type of bike.

“I have always raced with 4-inline; I didn’t know how it would go.

“Instead, I was surprised by how easily I adapted to the engine. It was easy. The bike is very manageable, which is important for long races.

“I lapped in 1’32.4, which is not bad, the benchmark was Ducati, and we were close,” he said.

Many would have thought the Spanish rider would only feature with Aprilia next season. However, he suggests that the remaining race, starting with Aragon GP, is the best learning curve.

 

“Maybe I’m not ready yet; I still don’t feel like one with the bike. I was used to riding a completely different bike, but I think I will understand the bike even better at Aragon.

“Being with Aleix (Espargaro) will also help me because he is fast and I will be able to learn how this bike works quickly,” he added.

BMW has unveiled its latest electric two-wheeler concept that aims to attract today’s youth.

Unlike the CE 04, which has a wider body panel and runs on a bigger and more powerful electric motor, the Concept CE 02 is designed for individuals aged 16 years familiar with intelligent technology.

While it may look more of a typical motorcycle than CE 04, Edgar Heinrich, the Head of Design at BMW Motorrad, stresses that it is an entirely new motorcycle.

“At first glance, there is little about the BMW Motorrad Concept CE 02 that is typically BMW Motorrad – it’s something completely new.

“We want to strive for something novel and be pioneers – which is what we’ve proven ourselves capable of with various projects in the past.

“The Concept CE 02 features new proportions and modern forms of single-track mobility in an urban environment. In addition, we wanted to achieve a level of design innovation that we have not had before at this level.

“Straightforward use was important, but above all, the emotional component was crucial, as well as riding fun,” he said.

The overall design is minimal, which is something that attracts the youth these days.

It is so minimal; the CE 02 does not come fitted with a footrest. Instead, as you can see based on these quirky photos, the rider is resting his feet on a skateboard attach sideways at the bottom of the motorcycle.

Why, you ask? Well, that question itself meant that Concept CE 02 is not built for you (or me). The idea is to offer practicality and allows riders to customize the e-bike accordingly to fit their taste.

Meanwhile, at heart sits an electric motor with a claimed output of 11kW capable of maxing out at 90km/h and a 90km range.

The suspension system consists of a front fork and a single rear shock mounted to the single-sided swingarm, while braking is done by a 2-piston front calliper and a single-piston rear calliper paired to 15″ wheels.

Other features include:

  • LED lights
  • small TFT colour screen
  • 730mm seat height
  • 120kg weight

Zero Motorcycles has launched the Quickstrike package, a limited edition customization kit for the fully electric SR and F model.

According to the company, only 100 of the numbered set will be made available for the global market.

“Zero’s launch of the revolutionary SR / F has brought about a change in the entire market.

“It is extraordinary how the success of a single model can support an entire winning category of high-performance electric motorcycles.

“For this reason, we wanted to create an exclusive and special package that could underline even more the uniqueness of the SR/F,” said Chris Metcalfe, Zero Motorcycles VP of Marketing.

Interestingly, the Quickstrike kit was inspired by the 2019 Pikes Peak International Hill Climb, exclusive motorsport events in the world.

The kit includes a host of features such as:

  • anodized brake lever guard
  • front and rear smoked LED turn signals
  • carbon fibre front and rear mudguards
  • rear kickstand pin
  • black aluminium fairing
  • custom mirrors
  • exclusive Quickstrike logo
  • Quickstrike pin
  • Quickstrike bike cover

After teasing us with the Speed Triple 1200 RR Prototype and the Tiger Sport 660, the lads at Hinckley decided to drop a set of photos on the new Tiger 1200 prototype.

Triumph Motorcycles has been making serious waves in the industry ever since they launched the Tiger 900 range in 2019.

Words of mouth were quick to suggest that the next obvious move is to introduce an all-new Tiger 1200; however, the British marquee decided to focus on the middleweight segment, with the Trident 660.

Nonetheless, waiting is over as Triumph Motorcycles has provided a clear look into the upcoming Tiger 1200.

Clad in a camo overall, the Tiger 1200 looks more aggressive than its 900 range, especially with a broader front fascia and bigger LED headlamp.

However, it remains to be seen whether 1200 will feature the new Euro 5 T-plane engine configuration like the Tiger 900.

The T-Plane engine provides an uneven firing order, resulting in a more efficient drive at low rpm and extra push at high rpm, which makes the 900 the best adventure motorcycle that you can enjoy on and off-road.

We like the new Tiger 1200’s slimmer and minimalistic bodywork compared to another manufacturer – which we can’t mention who, but they do speak Germans.

Triumph also confirmed that the new adventure motorcycle is significantly lighter than its closes competition.

We have to wait for its official unveiling for further confirmation, which we think will happen anytime soon.

The Honda X-ADV 750 has no other competitors, making it one of the unique adventure scooters ever built.

The Japanese marquee then went ahead and introduced the smaller ADV 150, which was then followed by Kymco’s DT X360 and Yamaha’s BWS 125.

While the market remains small but it is definitely growing.

However, just to spice things up, one of the renowned concept designers, Oberdan Bezzi, decided to create his interpretation of an adventure scooter by using the C 400 X as the platform to create what he referred to as the C 400 GS.

The C 400 X is a city scooter compared to the C 400 GT, which appears in a bigger body panel and a wider front end, making it not the right candidate to receive the GS treatment.

Based on the design concept by Oberdan, the C 400 GS received taller suspension travel combined with a long beak mudguard.

Meanwhile, the rear frame now features a slender and more rugged look paired to a single shock absorber replacing the dual-shock absorber on the C 400 X.

While this might be just another concept, the design looks promising and considering that BMW already offers the G 310 GS, who knows that there might be a GS version from the BMW scooter range.

The Harley-Davidson Pan America was the talk of the town ever since it was introduced early this year.

The adventure motorcycle was Harley’s first attempt to expand its wings to uncharted territories in an effort to reach a wider audience apart from its classic line of cruisers.

The American company introduced two versions of the motorcycle; the Pan America 1250 and Pan America 1250 Special, both ran by the liquid-cooled Revolution Max V-Twin engine capable of generating 150 horses.

While it is an exciting motorcycle by the looks of it (since we have yet to test it out), the company CEO, Jochen Zeitz, claimed that the Pan America 1250 Special is now the no.1 best selling adventure motorcycle in North America.

“Taking inspiration from our heritage, we wanted to create a motorcycle that redefined the adventure touring category and most importantly was designed and built in America.

“With the Pan America Special now the #1 selling ADV motorcycle model in North America, we targeted a selective expansion into adventure touring as part of the Hardwire Strategy with the goal to reach new and existing Harley-Davidson customers.

“Pan America is squarely built on our mission to deliver a timeless pursuit of adventure for our riders.

“Those who now own or have tested one of our Pan America’s absolutely love this bike – having sold out of our 2021 allocation, we are excited about what the future has in store for Pan America and for the Adventure Touring category at Harley-Davidson,” he said.

That is a bold statement indeed; however, this is where it got interesting because the American brand did not back that claim with any numbers.

While Harley-Davidson might just be pulling a stunt, the brand is clearly putting in substantial effort to reinvent itself.

The Pan America and the newly launched Sportster S (despite the ridiculous tyre size) could spell the start of an exciting journey for the Milwaukee brand.

After months of rumours and spy shots circulating on the internet, KTM has officially unveiled the 2022 RC390, which hosts a series of important upgrades.

The RC390 now features a reworked front fairing to accommodate a new single-piece LED headlight.

Moving on to the bike’s overall look, KTM claimed that MotoGP-derived lines and graphics heavily inspire the new RC390.

Interestingly, the entire body structures are now easily removable thanks to a redesigned mounting systems that allow the use of fewer fasteners and clips.

 

Not only the new bodywork is more aerodynamic thanks to the computational fluid dynamics (CFD) process, but it also removes the flow of hot air coming from the engine.

Thanks to MotoGP derived technology; the new RC390 is equipped with a 1.5kg lighter frame, 3.4kg lighter wheels and 1kg lighter ByBre brake callipers.

The new RC390 also features state-of-art hardware, including an updated WP Apex upside/down fork with 30-step compression and rebound and a new WP Apex rear shock (adjustable) absorber.

Thanks to Euro 5 requirements, RC390 now feature a single-cylinder 4-stroke liquid-cooled engine with twin overhead camshaft, 4-valve and electronic fuel injection.

The 2022 model also delivers a higher torque thanks to a newly designed airbox and a new engine mapping.

Other exciting features include:

  • new TFT instrument cluster
  • SUPERMOTO ABS
  • Lean Angle Sensitive Cornering ABS
  • Cornering MTC
  • Quickshifter+ (optional)

TVS Motor Company has launched the 2021 Apache RR 310 that now comes with a host of upgrades.

Firstly, the Apache RR 310 received a new exhaust system and revised geometry to provide a greater lean angle, with TVS also claimed the new setup improves engine response.

Next, the Apache RR 310 gets a full-colour and Bluetooth enable TFT display that can store and view riding data that can be accessed on the instrument cluster or via smartphone.

It also features a new Dynamic engine rev limit indicator, engine temperature, RPM parameters, day trip meter, and over speed indicator.

The new Apache also allows suspension damping tuning with the help of a built-in adjuster tool.

To make things a little more interesting, TVS offers two road-legal kits comprising Dynamic and Race.

The Dynamic kit features a fully adjustable KYB upside/down front fork with 20-step compression damping, 15mm preload adjustment and 20-step rebound damping, while the rear monoshock offers a 10-step preload adjustment and 20-step rebound damping.

Meanwhile, the Race kit focuses on attacking ergonomics that features a tucked-down handlebar and a raised (30mm) footpegs. TVS claimed the Race kit ensure lower wind resistance and improved handling while on the track.

Nonetheless, the powertrain has remained unchanged, with the single-cylinder 312.2cc liquid-cooled engine continues to deliver 34hp @ 9,700rpm and 27.3Nm @ 7,700rpm, and a claimed top speed of 160km/h.

Other features include:

  • 300mm front disc
  • 240mm rear disc
  • dual-channel ABS
  • 11L fuel tank
  • Four riding modes (Sport/Track/Urban/Rain)

FSR Technology has announced the second-generation TuneBoss ECU that promised to deliver a powerful result compared to its predecessor introduced back in 2014.

The Gen-2 TuneBoss ECU now features 3-Stage upgrade capabilities that deliver different performances according to the users’ preferences.

However, while it offers various stages, the second generation ECU is now affordable than ever, with the essential Stage-1 cost around RM200 cheaper than the previous generation ECU.

The price for the 2nd-gen TuneBoss ECU now starts at just RM299 (for Yamaha Lagenda and Honda Wave) and RM799 for the Yamaha R25 (compared to RM999 for the 1st-gen TuneBoss ECU).

According to FSR Technology CEO Farhan Ali, the focus for the 2nd-gen ECU was towards reliability and affordability.

“Our focus for the 2nd-gen was to make this technology and reliability more affordable, while at the same time offer new high-end features for more advanced customers.

“To achieve this, our new ECU starts at a significantly lower price but is upgradable three stages.

“When fully upgraded, it has more features and performance than our previous generation ECU,” he said.

Farhan added that users who seek a slight increase of power could opt for the Stage 1 package.

“Stage 1 is good enough for most users that want a bit more oomph out of their machine. Suitable for weekend track warriors who may have some light bolt-on performance bits on their bikes.

“Users who want substantial performance can simply upgrade to Stage 2, which unlocks features such as full fuel and ignition adjustments, Variable Valve Actuation (VVA) control, Throttle Acceleration Compensation and more by just adding RM200 to the basic Stage 1 price.”

Meanwhile, the new generation TuneBoss ECU is also available for the all-new Yamaha Y16ZR and MT15 with a starting price of RM399.

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