Other Motorcycles

Bombardier Recreational Products is making changes to it’s Can-Am Ryker line-up for 2022, with a new Ryker 900 Sport set to replace the Rally Edition variant.

Kawasaki is working on a three-wheeled vehicle similar to the Polaris Slingshot, but with one key difference: it leans into turns.

Here we are again. Every few years Polaris (or its PR rep) rings up Motorcycle.com with the opportunity of reviewing the latest Slingshot, a vehicle now designated as an auto-cycle in most US states. It’s not a motorcycle, we know (and I’m sure there will be folks reminding us of that in every comment section available online). For 2020, Polaris tells us its three-wheeler is 70% new with upgrades spanning from the cockpit to the all-new Polaris-built Prostar four-cylinder engine and the AutoDrive “automatic” transmission mated to it. With such substantial upgrades to the machine, we were happy to flog the Slingshot SL for a couple of weeks to give our take on the new machine. This will be a motorcyclist’s perspective of the 2020 Polaris Slingshot SL. 

At Daytona, Polaris loaned me a Slingshot for a few hours and I’m not even sure the three-wheeled Slingshot should be in Motorcycle.com, but that’s Evans’ problem. I just do the typing. The 2020 Slingshot is mostly new from the brake pedal forward. The driving experience is 80% automotive, 20% ATV Quad, and 100% motorcycle when it rains. It’s going to take me more than a few hours to acclimate to the oddness of this gearbox and the three-wheeler’s handling characteristics.

Polaris Industries has updated its Slingshot three-wheeler for 2020, giving it a new 1997cc four-cylinder engine, an automatic transmission, revised suspension and a redesigned cockpit. In all, Polaris says the 2020 Slingshot features “70% new vehicle content” in its first major update since its introduction in 2015.

Is an ebike cheating? Of course. But would I be sitting on the beach now after a strenuous-ish 15-mile ride from my house without it? No. I’d be napping on the couch in my usual after-lunch tradition. I had a regular nice $500 Specialized hybrid bicycle there for a while, until it got stolen, and I did the 30-mile round trip to the Santa Ana River mouth quite a few times on it (and wrote about it here). But it took a lot out of me and the biggest part of a day by the time I was done lying around for a couple hours afterward, recuperating and rehydrating.

Polaris is preparing to update its Slingshot three-wheeler with a new engine design and an automatic transmission. The new engine will be designed by Polaris itself, unlike the General Motors 2.4L Ecotec engine that’s been powering the Slingshot since its introduction in 2015.

It’s on rainy, cold nights like this one that I’m glad I have a garage. Looking at your motorcycle parked outside as it’s pelted with rain, sleet, hail, mud and other unpleasantness can make you weep with impotent rage. Cover it? Motorcycle covers are a hassle to put on and remove. First, you have to wait until the bike cools to avoid melting the cover to the exhaust. Plus, they can blow off your bike, get shredded and messy-looking, and trap moisture underneath, which can cause rust and mold. Nasty!

You can find a cheap motorcycle phone mount all over the internet these days, but pricing versus quality don’t seem to run entirely linear. After a bit of digging the evidence is clear; yes you can spend $50-60 on a higher end mount that will be rock solid, but there are also a few great well-built buys out there that don’t break the bank. Enter the  Roam Universal Premium Bike Phone Mount for Motorcycles—a simple and sturdy mount currently on sale for $12.98 with free shipping via Amazon. with over 4,700 customer reviews and an average score of 4.4 out of 5, this mount is tough enough to do the trick on a budget. If you do a fair bit of off-road riding, even if just on bumpy logging roads, we’d suggest going the heavy duty route, but if you’re a commuter/highway cruiser there’s no sense breaking the bank here.

In addition to the new FXDR 114, three Custom Vehicle Operations models and updates to its touring models, Harley-Davidson announced some significant updates to its trike lineup. In fact, apart from the FXDR which is brand new, the 2019 Harley-Davidson Tri-Glide Ultra and Freewheeler received the most updates of the company’s offerings for the coming year.

To be honest, I didn’t pay any more attention when Yamaha announced it would actually produce the Niken than I do to the unicorns that occasionally wander into the back yard as I’m semi-dozing on the patio after a nightcap. Fanciful creatures of the imagination. But I snapped to fully woke when the invite came in over the email transom to come to Austria and ride the thing. What, it actually exists? Sure, why not?

There was some discussion as to whether Motorcycle.com should even cover eBikes, an indecision that got thrown out the window when we realized we were talking about not just any bicycle builder, but Yamaha – and also that we had the opportunity to have the inimitable Mark Cernicky sample the four new Yamaha eBikes on MO’s behalf. Long before he became the guy who starred in all the Cycle World hero shots and videos up until a few years ago, Sir Nicky was a pro skateboarder and BMX guy.

The three-wheeled Yamaha Niken will be coming to the U.S.A. in the second half of 2018 as a 2019 model. Yamaha Motor USA confirmed the news after the Niken was presented at the 2017 EICMA show with the help of the Doctor himself, Valentino Rossi.

UPDATE: We’ve added a couple of shots of the Yamaha Niken from the Tokyo Motor Show.

In those days, they had no need for copy editing, as the words flowed forth as freely as the wine and frozen Cheetos. And if MO posted one thing a week, it was doing fine. Why not let’s all ride to San Francisco for a week?  Yes, let’s – and post a 10,000-word story when we get back. Ahh, the good old days.
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Okay, so it’s got a steering wheel and bucket seats, but it’s classified as a motorcycle in many states, and we weren’t going to turn down a chance to drive a lightweight three-wheeled car powered by a six-cylinder engine from BMW’s K1600 touring platform. That, as it turned out, was a smart choice, as the T-Rex is one of the most exhilarating motor vehicles you can aim down the road – the twistier, the better.

Remember when the Slingshot first debuted and motorcyclists poo-poo’d the contraption as a waste of money that nobody would want? Well, it’s three years later and our roads are now spattered with some 20,000 Slingshots being driven by all sorts of people, many of them motorcycle enthusiasts.

Blessed with beautiful weather year round, weekend mornings at the Rock Store of southern California can rival the best bike shows around the globe. Eclectic characters come out of the woodwork every weekend to enjoy riding through some of the tightest, twistiest, off-camber, up- and downhill roads motorcyclists dream of. Their owners are pretty interesting, too. It’s not uncommon to see Jay Leno on one of his bizarre and rare machines or other celebrity motorcyclists such as Arnold Schwarzenegger, Matt LeBlanc or Laurence Fishburne.

With a consistently heavy volume of new stories and news items appearing daily on the Motorcycle.com homepage, it can become difficult to catch everything you’re interested in. MO‘s newsletter helps to solve that issue by delivering a digest of the latest bike reviews, comparison tests, and motorcycle news straight to your inbox every couple of days.

Father’s Day is looming on the horizon, and those of you who have motorcycle loving fathers are (hopefully) looking for a way to tell Dad how much you appreciate all he’s done for you and the family over the previous year. If he’s like most fathers, dad has probably avoided buying or doing things that he wanted to, just because the needs of the family outweighed his own desires. For families like that, you already know what to get him – just order that thing he decided not to get for himself. However, if Dad’s moto-needs are a mystery to you, take heart. We’ve put together a listing of stuff that’s bound to make your riding father quite happy. The prices range quite a bit here, so you’re sure to find something within the range of greenbacks contained in your wallet.

The year 2016 marks BMW’s 100th year of existence, and part of its centenary celebrations is unveiling what it believes the future will hold for its library of brands. We’ve previously seen concepts from BMW and its automotive relatives Rolls Royce and Mini as part of what the German company terms its Vision vehicles.

Polaris announced updates to its Slingshot lineup for 2017, including a new race-inspired Slingshot SLR model as well as a host of new accessories including a removable roof.

If California is the land of motorcycles and Detroit’s the automotive capital, then Quebec must be Mecca for three-wheelers. Maybe there’s an inherent character trait in Quebec, a province that has carved out a French-speaking culture in a predominantly English-speaking continent, that leads some to want a similar niche for three-wheeled vehicles where four is the norm.

Intelligent Cranium Helmets is developing a prototype helmet with more electronic functionality than any other smart helmet available or imagined. The iC-R features twin full-color heads-up displays, twin rear-facing cameras, a LiDAR rear collision alert system, an electronically tinting visor, built-in Bluetooth communications, phone connectivity, and a solar panel to help power all this equipment. Can a helmet with this much future tech be realized with current batteries? Get approved by DOT, Snell or ECE? ICH says yes, and that the company can do it for a retail price less than $1,600. According to the most recent update (1/6/2016) on the company’s website, ICH has entered into development agreements with:

It’s official, the little green Z we reported on last October is coming stateside as a 2017 model. Dubbed the Z125 Pro, the mini-Z is set to steal some thunder from Honda’s Grom. Last year, we took a perfectly fine Grom, crippled it with a deluge of aftermarket equipment then went racing. The experience was a resounding failure, but a hilariously good time for the entire MO staff. Thankfully, we thoroughly documented every stage of the Grom’s downward spiral, so we don’t repeat the same mistakes with the Z125 Pro, because, obviously, there’s going to be an appropriately goofy shootout between the Kawi and the Honda. Any suggestions on how to go about it?

Do you and your dirt bike suffer from SAD – Seasonal Affective Disorder?

Your eyes aren’t fooling you. Yes, this is Motorcycle.com and, yes, the thing you’re looking at has three wheels, a steering wheel, bucket seats, seat belts and three pedals on the floor. It’s called, simply, the Morgan 3 Wheeler, and because it’s missing a fourth wheel, the Department of Motor Vehicles classifies it as a motorcycle (yes, even in Texas). And so, since we are Motorcycle.com afterall, it’s our duty to give the 3 Wheeler a whirl.

My first drag down the airport runway aboard Can-Am’s new 2015 Spyder F3 was accompanied by the unmistakable sound of tire squeal and the smell of torched rubber. This was not, however, the result of dumping the clutch at high RPMs on the base model’s six-speed manual transmission. This was the up-spec F3-S with the SE6 semi-automatic transmission. Nothing but horsepower, baby! Intrigued?

A few months ago we reported a press release from Travertson regarding confirmation of a forthcoming three-wheeler. We now have updated information from Travertson about its new Stryker 2.0, including some specifications and artist renderings of the vehicle expected to debut next Spring. (Oops, strike that. After informing Travertson about the Stryker from Yamaha’s Star brand, the Florida-based company has decided to name its three-wheeler the Striker 2.0.)

When Content Editor Tom Roderick tested Polaris’ new three-wheeled  Slingshot, he noted how it would surely offer the  Can-Am Spyder some competition. The two brands are, after all, big competitors in the off-road utility vehicle business, and the Slingshot takes their rivalry to a three-wheeled street battleground. Can-Am, and its parent company, Bombardier Recreational Products, aren’t just going to stand pat with its seven-year-old Spyder platform however, as new spy photos reveal a brand new model is on the way.

A Harley-Davidson three-wheeler was caught by our spy photographer at the same time as the 2015 Road Glide.

Back in 2008, Can-Am shook up the motorcycling world by introducing its intriguing, not-a-trike, not-a-bike Spyder RS line of V-Twin-powered, three-wheeled sport riding vehicles. Solid initial sales of the RS encouraged the Bombardier-owned Canadian company to produce an encore, and in 2009 the Spyder RT luxury liner was introduced. It was an instant hit among touring riders who were advancing in age but didn’t want to give up the freedom of the open road.

"Your usual table, Signor, and the lovely lady at the corner table has sent this bottle with her compliments." Ah, "la dolce vita," you think to

Engage the clutch, roll the twistgrip and the Ural Gear-Up either lurches or meanders to the right depending on the amount of go-juice you administer. Disengaging the clutch and/or rolling off the throttle causes the inverse reaction. This left to right or, depending on the order of engagement, right to left oscillation occurs with each gear change no matter the speed you’re traveling; It’s motorcycling’s sidehack adaptation of Newton’s Third Law.

“If Angelina Jolie strolled down Main Street naked, perhaps with her hair on fire, she might come close to attracting the amount of attention the Travertson V-REX does,” we wrote when we tested the REX in 2008. We encourage you to check it out, especially the entertaining video Fonz put together.

You’re imagining golf carts or those rolling chairs that old, fat chain-smokers use to troll the aisles at Wal-Mart. You think that if–thanks to fossil fuel shortages or pollution control–we’re ever restricted to two-wheeled versions of those, please shoot me now.

A prototype known as the Brudeli 625L was first shown at EICMA in Milano back in November 2005 after a number of years in production. The inspiration for the 625L, which was based on a Polaris Trail Blazer ATV, came over ten years ago when inventor Geir Brudeli witnessed an old Swedish army motorbike that utilized skis up front in order to navigate the icy winter terrain.

Despite the rain, it wasn’t a wasted trip, it only takes a mile in the rain to experience the technological wonder that BRP has created in association with its child and partner companies.  BRP + VSS + H20 = A safe ride with a Texas-sized side dish of hell yeah!

For some, it’s the want to save a few dollars. For others, the visual appeal grabs their attention more than the savings. Some bikes, like the Piaggio MP3, fill both those wants by being both efficient and unique. Less efficient yet more attention-getting is the Can-Am Spyder.

The mission? Designing yet another Vee for the born-again brand. I don’t think that the old and respected Ingeniere ever dreamt that he’ll be called to close his creative cycle after retiring already, but regardless of his advanced age, one thing can be said up front about the result: This new Morini 1200 has got one mean powerplant!

Major ego bolstering can be had by including the GG Quadster in your stable of steeds. Sure, it’s not a horizon-tilting two-wheeler, but its BMW K1200S-sourced engine qualifies it for inclusion in these illustrious virtual pages. And if attention is what you crave, this Swiss-built machine – a cross between an ATV and a Formula racecar – will start more conversations than Jeremiah Wright.

Such is the life of the rider of this science-fictionish contraption, an instant celebrity who is continually barraged with questions each and every time the bike comes to a stop. And, even then, many wouldn’t wait until it was parked, as several times cell phone cameras were dangled out open car windows and wide-eyed, smiling gawkers would yell out above the breeze, “Hey, what the hell is that thing?!”

After years of development, 2Moto Inc. has come up with a way to turn dirt rides into a snow ‘bikes’.

So where does a moneyed sportbike fanatic turn to fill his or her desire to be different? Enter Poggipolini NCR and their exclusive Millona. With a starting price tag of $25K, even seriously considering a purchase puts the prospective buyer head and shoulders above the crowd. Maybe that's why NCR isn't immediately recognizable to most enthusiasts. Like a secret meeting at the "non-existent" Area 51, you have to be kind of "special" to know about them. This bike must offer something truly unique then.

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 The history of the winningest motorcycle in AMA history goes much further back than 1972, really it goes back to the days in the 1930s when the AMA decided to ban factory race specials, and keep the racetracks open to stock-type motorcycles. That's how 750cc Class C racing was born, and from the start, Harley 750cc V-twins raced in it. The XR750, which debuted at the start of the seventies, was just another in a long line of winning Milwaukee dirt trackers.

Basically, the Lean Bike is a 1997 ZX-6R equipped with a set of outriggers that act like training wheels. The outriggers consist of a steel frame, hard rubber wheels and a pneumatically controlled lean damper system. To adjust the lean angle you push the horn button, which releases tension on the lean-damper. You can change the lean angle without releasing pressure, but it is difficult.

Upon removing the Carena from its box, we were required to install the footpegs and tighten the clip-ons to the forks. After that we had to cook up some two-cycle engine food and feed it into the empty tank. We took a last look over the bike and, seeing no potential for trouble, we pulled the starter cord. Although the manual said you only have to pull gently, we had to give it relatively hefty pull but before being rewarded with the distinctive sound of a two-stroke engine waiting to be driven.

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Umberto Borile must have thought along the same lines. The guy lives

On the news, you can witness, via video, beach front land mass slip-slide away into the Pacific Ocean. El Niño has become more than just a weather phenomenon, it has turned into a full-fledged over-the-top media spectacle, on a par with the Super Bowl, the O.J. trial and the Academy Awards.

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Imagine Mike Corbin and his son Tom walking out into a 40-acre field of garlic late one night and hearing a voice that says, "If you build it, they will come." So the Corbins build an 83,000 square-foot concrete tilt-up building in the middle of this garlic field. But the voice whispers, "That's not it, you dummies. I mean if you build a personal transportation module, they will come."

Early next year a milestone will be written into the history books when series production starts on the first two-stroke motorcycle in more than 10 years to meet the EPA requirements of all 50 states in the USA, and anywhere else in the world for that matter. And what a motorcycle it will be. Bimota, the constructors of the most exclusive sport bikes in the world, will unleash their 500cc two-stroke V-twin, dressed to kill in full race-tech livery. This bike will have sport riders' pulse rates racing into overload -- before they even get into the saddle. The Due will obviously be competing for the title of Ultimate Sports Machine.

Australia's first locally designed and built high performance motorcycle has thundered into life.