Motorcycle news, Motorcycle reviews from Malaysia, Asia and the world

FIRST LOOK: MV Agusta 921 S Concept

For those who attended the EICMA show in Milan, you’ll noticed that MV Agusta did not participate in this year edition.

MV Agusta 921 S is an all-new motorcycle set to roll out in a few years time.
Inspired by the glorious MV Agusta 750 Sport of the 70s.

However, the Varese company did hold a press conference to encapsulate their production plans for 2023 which include the 921 S concept bike.

According to MV Agusta, the 921 S is an all-new motorcycle that departs from the rest of the Italian product range. That said, the motorcycle combines the Italian firm’s past footprint with modern technology.

Interestingly, the 1970 MV Agusta 750 Sport was the inspiration behind the 921 S Project therefore you can easily notice a glimpse of the past including the red, silver, white and blue colour combination and the exposed frame.

While the overall look is nothing short of moden and futuristic the minimalistic design bring forth a classic Italian steed.

The 921 S features a completely new open-cradle type frame with steel-tube-trellis design that incorporates billet-aluminium rear plate and a supporting subframe.

The frame houses an engine that is based on an earlier generation Brutale 1000 RR that has been significantly reworked to give it a traditional streetbike appeal. The 921cc engine makes a solid 115hp @ 10,000rpm and 118Nm of peak torque @ 7,000rpm.

In addition, the 921 S also has a longer wheelbase that spans 1465mm, that’s 50mm more than the Brutale 1000 RR.

Suspending the MV Agusta 921 S is a top-of-the-line Ohlins front and rear suspension with a 41mm NIX-cartridge design that offers a fully adjustable compression and rebound damping.

Meanwhile, the rear gets a fully adjustable TTX36 shock.

As usual, the MV Agusta 921 S gets premium components including twin Brembo Stylema four-pot callipers at the front and a two-piston Brembo at the rear with 320mm and 220mm rotors, respectively. The bike is also shod with 120/70-17 front and 180/55-17 rear wheels.

Take a closer look at the front wheel you’ll noticed that the 921 S is equipped with a massive aluminium flange that helps to direct air intake to cool the rotor.

Unfortunately, there’s no telling when MV Agusta 921 S will actually makes it to the production stage and how much will it go for.

Royal Enfield Super Meteor 650 Breaks Cover At EICMA

The waiting game has come to an end as Royal Enfield finally rolls out the Super Meteor 650 at the EICMA show in Milan.

Royal Enfield adds the Super Meteor 650 to its 650cc family.
The Super Meteor features an all-new frame and revised suspension setup.

The Super Meteor 650 is the third motorcycle to feature Royal Enfield’s 650cc parallel-twin engine after the Continental GT and Interceptor.

However, this is not simply an engine swap from the smaller Meteor 350 or a different aesthetic from the existing 650 Twin. Instead, the Super Meteor 650 gets a newly built frame, revised suspension geometry, redesigned fuel tank, new side panels and a new swingarm.

Also, the Super Meteor 650 is the first 650cc model from Royal Enfield to be equipped with full-LED lighting. In addition, the Super Meteor is also the first Royal Enfield to be fitted with upside-down forks.

Nonetheless, the motorcycle continues to offer conventional cruiser-style riding ergonomics similar to the 350.

Meanwhile, instrumentation comes from a digital-analogue display with tripper navigation.

According to Royal Enfield, the Super Meteor 650 will be available in two trims; Standard and Tourer, with the latter is fitted with a range of accessories, including saddlebags, a tall windscreen, an engine guard and a pillion backrest.

GALLERY: 2023 ROYAL ENFIELD SUPER METEOR 650

The Kawasaki H2 SX Gets Auto High Beam For 2023

The Kawasaki H2 SX is perhaps the most powerful sports tourer available in the market and for 2023, the supercharged machine will feature auto-high-beam.

The Kawasaki H2 SX received significant update in 2022 including a new radar sensor technology.
For 2023, Kawasaki adds Auto-High Beam to the H2 SX electronic package.

Not much has changed on the 2023 H2 SX as the potent sports tourer already fitted with a host of upgrade last year including a twin radar system that features adaptive cruise control, forward collision warning and blind spot detection.

Kawasaki also equipped the H2 SX with a new 6.5-inch TFT in 2022 that allows the bike to get connected with Kawasaki Rideology app.

Nonetheless, the most significant upgrade for 2023 is the introduction of the Auto High Beam (AHB) function.

Although the name itself is self-explanatory, the AHB works together with the light-detecting sensor which then send information to the computer to notify when it is necessary to activate the high-beam.

The on-board cameras detect the light level from the bike’s surrounding including street lights and vehicles and calculate the whether the high-beam should be engaged.

“For the system to function, the dimmer/passing switch must be set to high beam and the bike must be travelling above 20 km/h in darkness. With the system engaged a green icon is displayed on the 6.5” TFT multifunction, colour instrument screen,” said Kawasaki.

Additionally, Kawasaki also welcome the return of the SE variant in 2023, which features Kawasaki Semi-Active Electronically Damped Suspension with Skyhook.

FIRST LOOK: Indian FTR Sport – 120hp, 117Nm

American motorcycle company, Indian Motorcycle introduced a new FTR Sport model that is set to replace the FTR S for 2023.

The FTR Sport replaces the the FTR S for 2023.
The FTR Sport sits under the FTR Carbon but placed above the FTR Rally and the base model.

Notable features on the FTR Sport include a new headlight cowl that also serves as a number plate, a chin fairing and a pillion seat cover.

The biggest addition to the 2023 lineup – including the Sport and R Carbon – includes an all-new 4-inch touchscreen TFT instrumentation with navigation system powered by Indian’s Ride Command technology.

Indian also improved other aspect of the FTR including a new clutch, reworked front braking which the firm claimed provide a firmer feel.

Also, the speedometer now placed slightly higher to improve rider visibility.

The 2023 FTR range also sport a new exhaust muffler.

Mechanically, the FTR Sport makes the same 120hp @ 7,750rpm and 117Nm @ 6,000rpm from its 1203cc DOHC, liquid-cooled, 60-degree V-Twin.

Other notable features include:

43mm ZF Sachs fully-adjustable telescopic cartridge forks.
ZF Sachs fully-adjustable piggyback IFP
Brembo brakes
15.4L fuel tank

Pricing and availability is yet to be announced but the Indian FTR Sport is available in White Lightning with Indy Red and Black Metallic accent as well as Black Metallic with Indy Red accents.

FIRST LOOK: 2023 Honda CL500 Scrambler

The highly anticipated Honda CL500 has arrived in a retro-style motorcycle that features the same powertrain as the CMX 500 Rebel.

From rumour to realitiy, Honda brings the CL nameplate back to modern times.
Features the highly-capable 500cc parallel-twin engine found in the CMX 500 Rebel.

If the CL nameplate sounds familiar to some of you that’s because the motorcycle was quite popular back in the day with its 125 to 450cc range.

Nevertheless, the CL nomenclature has made a comeback in the form of the new CL500.

Firstly, the CL500 features some similar specifications to the CMX Rebel, although the low-sub sub-frame has been replace with a rear-end that pays homage to the original CL-series including a high slung exhaust.

As you can expect, powering the CL500 is the same 471cc parallel-twin cylinder engine found in the CMX Rebel that produces 45.9hp and 43.3Nm peak torque.

However, new on the CL500 is a shorter final drive for more power from the get go and an updated fuel injection settings.

Meanwhile, the power is delivered to the rear wheel via a six-speed manual transmission mated to an assist/slipper clutch for seamless clutch feel.

Honda claimed the retro motorcycle tips the scale at 192kg which is an extra kilogram heavy than the Rebel.

Other notable features include:

41mm telescopic forks
rear twin shocks with 5-step preload adjustment
2-piston calliper (front) with 310mm disc
single piston calliper (rear) with 240mm disc
19” front wheel, 17” rear wheel with Dunlop Mixtours tires
12L fuel tank

In addition, the CL500 gets a new riding ergonomics thanks to its scrambler-style bodywork. That said, the seat height remains at 790mm.

To complete the retro look, the CL500 is equipped with a reverse LCD display.

GALLERY: 2023 HONDA CL500

2023 Honda Rebel 1100T Breaks Cover

Honda officially expand the Rebel 1100 range with a new bagger variant that adds a fork-mounted fairing and color-matched hard panniers for 2023.

Honda Rebel 1100T joins the Rebel lineup for 2023.
Features similar specification with the base Rebel including cruise control, 16.3L fuel tank and Showa rear shocks.

Typically, the fairing is an added protection against road elements including the wind and debris while the lockable saddlebags adds 35L of storage.

Despite the ‘touring packge’, the Rebel 1100T still feature the same 16.3L of fuel tank as the base Rebel. Hence, we expect the same 240km of range.

Also the additional storage adds to the bike’s overall weight to 245kg for DCT model , that’s 14kg more than the standard Rebel.

Mechanically, the Rebel 1100T is pretty much similar to the Rebel 1100 DCT, including the same 1083cc parallel-twin engine derived from the Arica Twin and NT1100 that makes 86hp and 97Nm.

The Rebel 1100T is suspended by a telescopic fork at the front with 140mm of travel and dual Showa rear shocks with adjustable preload and 93mm of travel.

Braking is done by a four-pot radial-mount hydraulic callipers with 330mm floating rotors at the front and a single-piston callipers with 258mm disc at the rear.

Also similar to the standard model, braking is regulated by a dual-channel ABS that comes as standard including traction control, wheelie control, engine braking control, cruise control and three riding modes.

The Rebel 1100T is available in two colourways, Metallic Black and Bordeaux Red Metallic.