Innholdsfortegnelse for Septemeber 2016 i Cycle World

After introducing an all-new KX450F last year, Kawasaki left its smaller brother, the 2016 KX250F, relatively untouched aside from a few minor improvements. For 2017, the KX250F has received a full makeover, with a new chassis, improved suspension settings, increased power delivery, and comfortable ergonomics. Last year’s KX-F wasn’t a bad bike, but it did have its shortcomings, namely in the handling and weight departments. When we pulled this bike off the stand, however, we could already tell it was a different machine than its predecessor. On the track, the chassis—1.3 inches slimmer than ’16—gives the rider a more connected feel to the bike, while the overall lighter weight makes it easier to plant the bike wherever you want. Complementing the chassis are revised suspension and linkage settings. And while…

Lucky bastards like me don’t have to worry about jumpstarting our vintage British bikes. Magneto! Yep, my ignition self-generates, no battery required. And yet. When I need to call a friend with a pickup truck, or I need to make a plea to bystanders on social media complete with a video of my bike not starting when I kick it…but my smartphone is dead, I do need extra power. Desperately. The Weego JS6 Jump Starter Battery+ lithium polymer power pack has it, in a size that’s not much larger than your iPhone 6. Speaking of which, the iPhone 6 battery is 1,810 mAh, so theoretically the 6,000 mAh JS6 should give you 100 percent charge at least three times or extend the operating time the same amount. The included three-tail…

APRILIA RSV4 RR Aprilia’s RSV4 RR does a better job of keeping this year’s Best Superbike, the Yamaha R1, in its sights than any other literbike thanks to a rock-solid chassis and V-4 engine that now makes more power up top—all of which is great but not why the bike is here. Credit the looks, sound, and emotionally stirring feeling it gives you every time you throw a leg over it instead. BMW R1200RT We are spoiled with choice when it comes to bikes designed to reel in distant horizons. If we had a Best Luxury Sport-Touring class, the BMW R1200RT would take the prize by a wide margin. It has a unique combination of long-road comfort and absolute cornering security. The 1,170cc liquid-cooled flat twin’s reassuring thrum at cruise…

THE BIKE HAS A NARROW WAIST AND POSITIONS THE RIDER DOWN IN THE BIKE INSTEAD OF PERCHED ON TOP OF IT. Adventure-bike fans who also like Japanese motorcycles have had it a little tough over the past decade. While there have been some very fine offerings in the form of the wellbalanced but more streetoriented Yamaha Super Ténéré, streetfocused Suzuki VStroms, and bulletproofbutbasic Kawasaki KLR650, Japan has lacked a hardcore, literclass, goanywhere adventure bike. During that time, the adventuretouring class exploded, matured, and joined the electronic revolution, and the Europeans were the ones kicking butt and taking names…and market share. The CRF1000L Africa Twin is Honda’s longawaited entry into the class. It enters an ADV market that has largely evolved into bigbore touring machines that are surprisingly good off the…

MISSING THERMOSTAT? Q: I bought a 2015 Kawasaki Versys 1000 as a leftover, and I have a conundrum about the thermostat. I was told (by the dealer service manager) that this bike has a 180-degree thermostat, but while riding it rarely gets above 150. The first long trip I took it on it was 40 degrees Fahrenheit outside and after 100 miles on the highway the engine was at 135. It fluctuated between 128 and 135 the whole trip. When I brought it in for the first service it was a cold morning, and when I got to the dealer it was at 140. After the first service I had taken the wife for a 50-mile ride while it was a temperate 65 degrees Fahrenheit outside, and while idling through…

Michael Dunlop and Ian Hutchinson battles spearheaded all of the five main races at this year’s TT. In the Superbike and Superstock classes both men were mounted on very similar spec S1000RR BMWs that, in their hands at least, were head and shoulders better than the Japanese opposition. The BMW duo was in a class of its own with John McGuinness’ best lap of the week on his CBR1000RR Honda in the Senior race being a full 10 seconds slower than Michael Dunlop’s new outright lap record. Although both Dunlop and McGuinness set all of their best times for the TT’s six sectors on their Superbikes during the Senior race, Hutchinson’s were divided equally between the Superstock and Senior races. Hutchinson clearly felt more comfortable on the more manageable stock-spec…

Having read your review on the Triumph Thruxton R after just getting home from a Northern California BSA Club ride where a rider showed up on one, I agree with you on how Triumph nailed it in making a thoroughly modern retro bike. There is only one place where they missed the mark: There needs to be a tickler on the fake Monoblocks that dribble a little fuel on the outside of the carb bodies when they are depressed. JIM ROMAIN CYCLEWORLD.COM WHAT IS REAL? Replacing the fake Amal carb overlays with fake Mikuni overlays on the Triumph Thruxton R would make a vast improvement over stock. LUKE MEISENBACH LOS GATOS, CA But would it still be authentic?! How a motorcycle looks is equally as important to me as how…

Keen eyes will have noticed that, in the past two issues of Cycle World magazine, our testing staff has been wearing 6D’s new ATS-1 sportbike helmet. Those not familiar with 6D’s technologies or the ATS-1’s dirt predecessor, the ATR-1, were probably curious why there was an unusual helmet in the photos and if it was different from the ones we normally wear. The answer is: dramatically so. That’s because 6D helmets are outfitted with an Omni-Directional Suspension system (ODS) that uses elastomeric isolation dampers to reduce the transfer of the angular acceleration energy to the brain in the event of an accident. In both the dirt and street helmets, these isolation dampers are placed between two expanded polystyrene (EPS) liners and compress and sheer upon impact. If the energy impact…

If you’re the sort of motorcyclist who likes to “strafe corners,” a trip down Highway 61 from Memphis to New Orleans will probably save you a lot of money on ammo. There are a few gentle curves along the Mississippi, but most of the corners in this land of bayous and cotton fields are crossroads, both literally and figuratively. So why go there? Well, I suppose the answer for some of us would simply be: the music. Memphis is the birthplace of rock ’n’ roll, New Orleans is the home of jazz, and between them lies a stretch of rich bottomland called the Mississippi Delta, the land where the blues began. Also, there’s a lot of good food and drink along these 400 miles of river road—smoked barbecue, fried catfish,…

There is perhaps nothing more polarizing in “motorcycling” than an automatic transmission. Well, perhaps trikes, but that’s another conversation. Since Honda introduced its Dual-Clutch Transmission (which really isn’t an automatic—it just defaults to an auto function), motorcyclists have been squawking their opinions about it. One of the rites of passage into the motorcycling club has always been mastering the controls and becoming proficient with the machine, which is obviously a lot more of an acquired skill than an automobile. So to many, DCT has poseur written all over it. Also, the question is often raised if DCT is a solution to a problem that didn’t exist. No matter your opinion, the fact is that DCT is a marvel of technical engineering and functions incredibly well. Is it for everyone? Not…

BY THE NUMBERS three CHANCES TO WIN: Number of race classes you could enter an SV650 in with CVMA, our local club racing organization 1999 BIRTH YEAR: Year Suzuki first introduced the SV650 60 NEW ITEMS: Number of new parts utilized in the 2017 SV650 engine A bike with a cult following leaves an empty void when absent from a manufacturer’s model lineup. Such is the case for Suzuki’s beloved SV650 middleweight sport twin. Since its inaugural launch in 1999, the versatile and affordable platform has been produced in a variety of faired and naked versions that have appealed to entry-level and experienced riders alike. In 2009, however, Suzuki took the proven SV concept into a different styledriven direction with the SFV650 Gladius. Be it the untimely global economic crises…

1 HEAD COLD CURE It’s okay to be a hothead beneath the helmet with the iXS Buster ($45) balaclava. Made of Dryarn microfiber material, a fabric said to be fast drying, it is breathable, lightweight, and resistant to electrostatic charge. Its ergonomic shape, central flat seam, and wicking effect on mouth and ear openings make for improved comfort as well. → (561) 571-1900 ixsusa.com 2 CINDER SOLE A first step to ensuring cold-weather comfort is keeping your feet warm. Skiing socks might help, but inserting Venture Heat Heated Insoles ($69.99) into your boots is strides better. The micro-alloy fiber heating elements are positioned from heel to toe, and the insert's leading edge can be trimmed to fit. A fused battery harness is included. → (310) 412-1070 ventureheat.com 3 TOASTY TORSO…

WE IMAGINED A SMOKY ROOM 40 years ago where founding publisher Joe Parkhurst, thenexecutive editor Allan Girdler, and the rest of the CW crew were hard at work looking for the Next Big Idea and came up with Ten Best Bikes. But under the heading: There are No Truly New Ideas, Girdler says he “borrowed” the 10-best notion from a now defunct car magazine and had applied it with success at his old job with CW ’s counterpart car publication, Road & Track. So he and Joe thought they’d try it with motorcycles. And a four-decade tradition of excellence was born! We are so glad to continue Ten Best in its 40th year because we are honored to honor the finest motorcycles the world has ever seen. Looking at the…

I WAS RAISED TO BELIEVE THAT MOTORCYCLES ARE AN ACCUMULATION OF PARTS. My father, a racer in every sense of the word, has built countless examples of them. He pushed every last one to their limits and, on a bad day at the track, crashed them, all without forming an emotional connection with a single one. They were parts. And easily replaceable ones at that. What my father didn’t realize is that motorcycles can be more than that. They can be the things that light a fire inside of you—that make even the simplest commute seem special. Certain motor cycles can stir your soul in such a way that you miss them every moment you’re not out riding them. And smile when you are. That, to us, is what heritageinspired…