Ronin Motor Works 47 - One of the World"s Most Unique Motorcycles

Despite little differences here and there, the vast majority of motorcycle design follows a pretty similar aesthetic formula. Over the last few decades the only real difference in appearance of how motorcycles looks are that they’re sleeker to take better advantage of aerodynamics. The Ronin 47 is not like that. Love it or hate it, the Ronin 47 is a motorcycle that changes what a modern two wheeler ought to look like and we think it does so for the better.

The story of how the Ronin 47 has come to be is as unique as its appearance. When Harley-Davidson shut down Buell in 2009 there were a whole bunch of Buell 1125 sportbikes unsold. At the time, Magpul, who are best known as a firearm magazine and accessories business designed The Ronin as a concept bike to be used as a trade show prop. The reaction to the bike was overwhelmingly positive and Mike Mayberry, one of the owners of Magpul, went on a shopping trip and purchased 50 Buell 1125’s from around the United States. Eventually, Magpul spun off a new company, Ronin Motorworks and fast forward to today and The Ronin 47 is almost unchanged from that initial concept design.

Although based on the Buell 1125, this isn’t a purely cosmetic makeover. Changes to the fuel mapping were implemented due to modifications to the exhaust system and intake. The standard telescopic forks have been replaced with an in house design that has a centrally mounted shock. The subframe has been modified and almost the entire electrical system has been swapped out and replaced.

Visually it’s a striking machine. It’s not a beautiful motorcycle, but you wouldn’t call it ugly in the way you might describe a V-Strom. It’s different, but in a good way. There are no less than 11 sand-cast aluminium parts, plus custom made bar end mirrors, headlights, tail section and in a nice touch, the indicators double as bar ends. All up, the end result is a bike that is actually 54lb ligther than it’s donor bike.

Adding to this unique machine is the way it will be sold. The initial twelve bikes that are being made (and which are already spoken for) will mimic the colors of the original concept bike and will be sold for $38,000. The next 10 bikes will be completely black in color and sell for a higher price. Each subsequent release will be reduced by two motorcycles (10, then eight, then six, etc) and each tranche will be have unique modifications (and cost more).

So why has it taken some guys from a military accessories company to bring out one of the most unique looking motorcycles in the past few years? Thanks to the echo chamber that is the motorcycle industry, anything that’s too ‘out there’ is quickly dismissed due to the possible risks involved. Japanese sports bikes are like Porsche – tiny, incremental design tweaks and no real originality or flare. The new Yamaha R1 is the most ‘out there’ machine to come from Japan in recent memory, but compared to the Ronin 47 it looks very conservative.

Given not only its price but its rarity, only a handful of people will ever ride the Ronin 47, but let’s hope it inspires some larger motorcycle manufacturers to be a little more experimental in their designs.

 

Ronin Motor Works 47 - One of the World"s Most Unique Motorcycles

Owner of Indian Motorcycles Has Record Year

Polaris Industries, owner of both Indian Motorcycles and Victory Motorcycles has announced a record sales year. In fact, 2014 was the fifth successive record sales year and included an increase in revenue of its motorcycle division of 59 per cent – more than double any other product segment that Polaris deals in.

A big part of Polaris’ success was the release of the new 2015 Roadmaster and the rebirth of the mid-sized motorcycle (and well received) Indian Scout which so far has done so well that there’s a few months back order in some locations. Also released was the unique three-wheeled ‘motorcycle’, the Slingshot, although that particular product has had a few hiccups. Certain states are not happy with it’s designation as a motorcycle (which determine what license you require to drive it) and Polaris only yesterday issued a recall on the Slingshot due to roll hoops that do not meet hardness specifications.

“2014 marks our fifth consecutive year of double digit sales and earnings growth, an accomplishment which testifies to the innovative spirit and dedication of the 8,000 member global Polaris team. It is inspiring to see how they overcame obstacles ranging from negative foreign exchange impacts and a weakening European economy, to highly volatile oil and crop prices, to record a 19 percent increase in both sales and net income for the full year 2014. During the year, we added over thirty new vehicles to the Polaris armada, expanding and strengthening our portfolio with our largest ever new product introduction, while our strategic acquisitions and significant investments in our global manufacturing infrastructure allow us to both create and meet the increasing demand for our products,” explained Scott Wine, Polaris’ Chairman and Chief Executive Officer.

Overall, total revenue for the 2014 financial year was up 19 per cent to $4.47 billion while net profit was also up 19 per cent to $454 million. Polaris has forecast an increase in both revenue and profit for 2015 of 9 to 12 per cent. Polaris was also recently in the news after announcing the purchase of Brammo’s electric motorcycle division.

 

Owner of Indian Motorcycles Has Record Year

300 cc BMW "K03" Spotted Testing in Germany

British motorcycle tabloid MCN has gotten hold of some photos of the motorcycle that will spearhead BMW Motorrad’s big push into the small displacement market. Code named K03, the motorcycle is being developed as a partnership between BMW and Indian motorcycle company, TVS. The agreement between BMW and TVS began in 2013 and was entered into to help BMW develop smaller capacity machines for the western market and TVS to make larger capacity machines for their markets.

The agreement set out plans for the two firms to develop machines in the sub 500 cc class, so its no surprise that the first machine they jointly collaborate on will be one for the increasingly heated circa 300 cc market.

Based on the photos, it’s a single cylinder water cooled engine – just like the Honda CBR300R. Forks at the front are inverted and look like the same forks from the TVS Draken (a concept bike shown at the Indian Auto Show last year) and straightforward shock absorber at the rear – nothing unexpected for what will need to be a keenly priced bike in India. While it can’t be seen in the pictures, ABS for any bikes sold by BMW will obviously be standard but perhaps not for TVS sold machines.

Given however that BMW has strong intentions to sell these entry level machines in western markets, we wouldn’t be surprised to see some enhancements in certain areas of the bike like suspension before it goes on sale here though.

MCN also suggests that in addition to the naked bike caught in the pictures here, BMW will also release sportsbike and GS style adventure bike on the same platform.g shipped from Europe to Bangalore for testing in India. It’s expected the first of these motorcycles will be officially unveiled at Intermot later this year.

 

 

300 cc BMW "K03" Spotted Testing in Germany

KTM"s Fourth Record Sales Year In A Row

KTM continues to rise and rise, posting it’s fourth record sales year in a row. The Austrian brand moved 158,760 motorcycles in 2014 – up a whopping 28.2 per cent over the previous year. KTM has nearly doubled motorcycle sales since 2011 which is an incredible achievement given the difficult economic environment they’ve been operating in.

What’s most impressive is that KTM sold more motorcycles while maintaining strong profitability with total revenue up 20.2 per cent and earnings before interest and tax improving by 37 per cent. Total revenue for the 2014 business year was €864.4 million.

No doubt part of this rapid increase has been KTM’s strong presence in India where it manufacturers both the Duke and RC models (125, 200 and 390), but KTM has also made large inroads into the US market. These sales results are also purely from motorcycles – no scooters contributed to their record figures unlike some other manufacturers.

With a big push into the higher end adventure market this year plus the release of the RC 390 in the United States it’s highly likely that KTM will have a record 2015 as well.

 

KTM"s Fourth Record Sales Year In A Row

The History and Future of Forced Induction Motorcycles

In just a few weeks, the first forced induction motorcycle to be produced since 1985, the Kawasaki Ninja H2, will hit showrooms – a hiatus of 30 years for a technology used in not only performance cars but increasingly in family sedans and hatchbacks. So why have there been so few forced induction motorcycles and is the Ninja H2R just a gimmick or a sign of things to come? Let’s take a look at the past and possible future of forced induction motorcycles.

The Past

While Kawasaki sold a turbocharged Z1R-TC made by the Turbo Cycle Corporation in the late 70’s, the first true production forced induction motorcycle was released by Honda.

The Honda CX500 Turbo was released in 1982 and based upon the technologically advanced (at the time) CX500. In addition to its turbocharger, it also featured computer controlled fuel injection, ignition and turbo control. The base CX500 featured the first V-twin ever built by Honda and it became the perfect base for its turbocharging experiment. According to Motorcycle Classics, air was routed from the front of the CX through an oiled foam air filter and then into the compressor part of the turbocharger. From the turbo mounted in front of the engine, air traveled to a plastic box (called a surge tank), and then through reed valves and intake tubes into the cylinder head. Fuel passed through a fuel filter before being pushed under pressure by an electric fuel pump, where it was fed to fuel injectors that released a precisely calibrated flow of fuel to the intake tubes.

Reactions to the CX500 Turbo was mixed. Most journalists either loved or loathed the turbo sensation. Detractors stated that the bike became too hard to control when the boost came on, especially in the corners. The following year Honda bumped the capacity of the engine up to 674cc and increased the compression ratio to 7.2:1 which increased power to 97 hp, but it was short lived. The turbocharged model was discontinued by the end of the year.

Soon following Honda’s release of the CX500 Turbo was Yamaha’s response – the XJ650LJ Seca which had the distinction of featuring in the Bond film Never Say Never Again. It featured a four stroke transverse four cylinder turbocharged DOHC, 2 valves per cylinder engine with a capacity of 653 cc. Unlike the Honda CX500 turbo, it was air cooled and pumped out 90 hp at 9,000 rpm. It was also far more low-tech than the Honda – something that many actually preferred – using carburetors instead of electronic fuel injection.

The Yamaha XJ605LJ Seca Turbo was also preferred when it came to riding in comparison to the Honda. The transition from off-boost to on-boost power was less sudden than the CX, making it easier to ride over mountain roads. That said, the same criticism that that was leveled at the Honda was also made of the Yamaha – turbo lag. The reduced lag and extra low-end and mid-range power made the Seca easier to ride hard than the Honda, but for sport use both required far more concentration and skill than for any good non-turbo bike

Suzuki was the third of the Japanese giants to enter the turbo game, with the brand new XN85. Specifications wise it was quite similar to Yamaha’s offering – same engine configuration, similar weight and a capacity only 20 cc more than the XJ650LJ. However, unlike the offerings from Honda and Yamaha, the Suzuki XN85 was developed from the ground up exclusively as a turbo bike, rather than modified to fit an existing platform. It featured the first 16-inch front wheel on a production bike, low clip-on handlebars, rearsets and a single shock rear suspension – a rarity for the times.

The bike was a commercial failure however. Only 1,153 examples were actually produced and it was discontinued after less than a year.

Last to the party and last to offer a turbocharged motorcycle for sale was Kawasaki with their E1 and E2 GPz750 Turbo bikes. As far as performance went, the GPz750 was the king of the turbocharged bikes thanks to its larger displacement – 112 hp @ 9,000 rpm and a massive 99.1 nm @ 6,500 rpm. Upon its release it was claimed to be the fastest production bike in the world. In addition to having the best performance figures, it was generally regarded as the best example of a turbo motorcycle. Lag was down and the turbocharger actually did what it was intended for – to make it quicker than a comparable normally aspirated machine. Commercially it did well too – being sold for three years in comparison to the other makes one year stint.

But economics of production and cost of ownership meant that even Kawasaki’s machine was eventually withdrawn and we wouldn’t see another forced induction motorcycle until the announcement of the Kawasaki Ninja H2 and H2R last year.

The Present

The year is 2014 – 32 years after Honda released the CX500 Turbo and Kawasaki announces the Kawasaki Ninja H2, the world’s first production supercharged motorcycle. The Ninja H2R would be for the track only.

We’ve talked in great length about both the Ninja H2 and H2R and while we’re extremely impressed by the specifications of the H2R, we’re a little less enthused about the road legal H2 which suffers from excessive weight. The H2R makes nearly 300 hp from one litre of engine capacity and it does so by forcing far more air into the system than a normally aspirated engine can. And that’s probably the reason why the H2 is so heavily detuned – that process will create a lot of heat. That’s not good for longevity and ironically, heat will actually decrease air density and therefore reduce power. Kawasaki have innovated a whole host of new technologies to overcome these issues, but that’s not cheap. Nor is tested in the real world and Kawasaki probably don’t want a lot of money on warranty claims eating into their profits.

But Kawasaki aren’t alone in looking at supercharging. Patents were discovered late last year showing Honda is seriously looking at a supercharged bike based on the NC750. The Honda NC750S and NC750X are unique motorcycles as they stand, with huge amounts of luggage space located where the fuel tank usually sits. This makes it an ideal candidate for forced induction as it provides an easy solution to placing a supercharger, related plumbing and an intercooler.

Then we have Suzuki and their Recursion concept which if the rumors are correct is heading into production this year as the Katana. Unlike Kawasaki and Honda though, the Suzuki Recursion makes use of a turbocharger. If and how Suzuki has overcome the issue of turbo lag remains to be seen.

So why after three decades of absence is forced induction making a comeback? The reason for it’s renaissance is actually quite boring but very important – the environment.

Yes, forced induction, whether it be provided by either a turbocharger or supercharger gives an increase in performance. But increasing performance isn’t really necessary for most motorcycles today. Just take a look at the specifications for the latest normally aspirated superbikes like the 1299 Panigale and Yamaha R1 and you can quickly see that a turbocharger or supercharger would just add unnecessary weight, complexity and cost to the machines for probably little gain. Where they do improve things dramatically is in emissions.

And that’s going to become increasingly important. It’s expected that by 2017, the European Union will require all motorcycle manufacturers to quote C02 emissions for their bikes which will lead to tax implications. Governments will continue to pressure vehicle manufacturers to lower their emissions which contribute a sizable percentage to most western nations overall carbon emission figures.

So how much can forced induction reduce emissions? Quite a lot actually.

The Ninja H2 has the exact same output as the current Kawasaki ZX-10R. But the H2’s carbon monoxide emissions are 1g/km compared to 3g/km for the ZX-10R – a reduction of 66 per cent.  Similarly, the hydrocarbon emissions of the H2 compared to the ZX-10R reduce from 0.3g/km to 0.2g/km – 33 per cent down. Just imagine the reductions when the technology becomes more mature.

Like it or not, motorcycle manufacturers ignoring both emissions and fuel consumption of their machines is coming to an end which means this time, forced induction is likely to not be a small flash in the pan but part of the ongoing motorcycle landscape – just like electric bikes. And for that, we’re more than happy as the more choice available to consumers, the more riders we’ll get on our roads.

 

The History and Future of Forced Induction Motorcycles

Bates Footwear Announces New Motorcycle Range

Bates Footwear has announced a new range of motorcycle shoes targeted at sportbike and touring riders for use on the street. Bates Footwear has long been a manufacturer of protective footwear for the military and police and have also offered a motorcycle range for cruiser riders since 2012.

Bates Footwear was inspired to launch the Bates Moto brand when they began manufacturing boots for motorcycle-mounted law enforcement officers. The Bates Moto line incorporates the latest advancements in high tech materials like Poron XRD impact absorbing foam, a lightweight and flexible foam that is capable of dissipating up to 90% of impact energy. Molded TPU protectors, XRD ankle protection, breathable waterproof membrane lining, abrasion resistant leather and nylon fibers and reinforced stitching mean the shoes put safety first.

But thankfully, the range of shoes actually looks pretty good. Until recently, it’s been difficult for riders to find shoes that not only offer protection but looked decent enough to walk around the local supermarket without appearing to be a storm trooper. There will initially be two lines of footwear – Speed and Street and two shoes will be available in each line.

The SP500 Adrenaline offers the highest level of protection, with features like Poron XRD ankle protection to dissipate impact energy, abrasion resistant leather, and an oil and slip resistant rubber outsole for maximum grip. Comfort features like a waterproof lining and cushioned insert make this the perfect boot for sport, touring and adventure riders. The SP500 Beltine boot combines abrasion resistant leather with breathable nylon panels, making it the ideal leather boot for summer riding.

For the street, the ST250 Marauder features an aggressive urban style, while still incorporating protective elements like a molded heel counter and TPU toe protection. An internal midsole system and waterproof lining make the Marauder an option for walking the city streets once the ride is done. Finally, the ST250 Taser is a lightweight boot with a slim design whilst still offering many of the same protective features found in SP500 boots.

No word on pricing yet, but the range will go on sale in Spring of this year.

 

Bates Footwear Announces New Motorcycle Range

2016 Triumph Tiger Explorer Spotted

Things don’t stay still for very long in the motorcycle world, especially in the booming adventure segment which seems to be as hotly contested as sportsbikes were before the economic downturn due to the GFC. These spy shots courtesy of Oliepeil, show that while the updated Triumph Tiger Explorer isn’t receiving a radical visual makeover, there’s still a fair bit going on.

The biggest change we can see from the photos is that it would appear Triumph is testing the new Tiger Explorer with active rear suspension. Also visible in the photos are new wheels, new front fork and also radially mounted Brembo brakes instead of the current non-radially mounted units from Nissin. It wouldn’t be at all surprising if Triumph were seriously considering Boschs’s cornering ABS system that’s already being used in adventure models by both BMW Motorrad and KTM.

There are some, albeit minor changes to the bodywork of the bike, but given that the release of this bike probably won’t be until next year it’s highly likely that this test mule isn’t a final representation of the upgraded Tiger Explorer from an aesthetics point of view.

Again, from what can be seen from the spy photos, both the engine and exhaust appear unchanged though unlike it’s physical appearance it’s unlikely that Triumph will want (or need) to make many changes to the 1215 cc triple – a unique feature among the competition.

 

2016 Triumph Tiger Explorer Spotted