Innholdsfortegnelse for July 2020 i BIKE India

A FEW MONTHS AGO, I WAS IN LONAVALA, WHERE KTM SET a bunch of us journalists loose on some extremely gnarly trails to test the 390 Adventure’s off-road capabilities. I came away impressed by the bike and its potential, but also with the notion that this new Austrian would feel a lot more at home on the tarmac than out in the wilderness. KTM recently lent us a bike to test this theory, and I spent a couple of days riding it in the city, over bad roads and good, and even headed out on to the highway for a few quick blasts. Here’s what I think. At the most basic level, the KTM 390 Adventure is a long-legged 390 Duke with a comfortable seat, relaxed rider triangle, and a…

THIS INTERVIEW WAS conducted according to strict social distancing guidelines: Scott Redding was 6,000 miles (9,655 kilometres) and eight hours away from where I was. When I facetimed him, it was 4.30 pm in London, 8.30 am in Malibu, California. He answered his phone and all I saw was bleary eyes, bed hair, muscles, and tattoos. ‘You’re not naked, are you?’ I asked. Redding lowered his phone to reveal that he was wearing underpants but nothing else. Then he kicked back on his couch, accepted a cup of coffee from his girlfriend, Jacey Hayden, and then the interview began. The reigning BSB champion is several weeks into California’s coronavirus lockdown, going slightly crazy, like everyone else. In fact, even crazier, because racers live their lives strung tight like a bow…

Weightless FURY Limited-edition Ducati Superleggera V4 is under production, only 500 units to be made ANOTHER BONKERS BIKE FROM BOLOGNA IS IN THE WORKS. THE LIMITED-edition Ducati Superleggera V4 is currently in production. With only 500 units in the offing, this is going to be a rather exclusive bike for those lucky enough — not to mention wealthy enough — to own one. “Superleggera” means “super-light” in Italian and Ducati have taken that name to heart. The Superleggera V4 may be based on the Panigale V4’s platform, but it also has the unique distinction of being the first and only series production bike to have its frame, subframe, swing-arm, and rims constructed from lightweight carbon-fibre. The fairing is made of carbon-fibre, too, and helps bring that kerb weight further down,…

IN MANY WAYS MV’S DRAGSTER 800RR HASN’T CHANGED much since the original model was launched just over five years ago. The latest RR is still a tuned and firmed-up version of the standard Dragster. It’s a hard-accelerating, quick-steering naked triple, unmistakable with its swoopy shapes and spectacular wire-spoked wheels, the rear wearing a gigantic 200-section tyre. But as the latest 800RR powers out of a bend with its front wheel feeling light, its 12-valve motor revving hard and its trio of stubby silencers slicing the air with a three-pot scream, there’s no doubt that this Dragster is a significantly different motorcycle — and a better one. My most vivid memory of the original RR is of riding it on a roughly surfaced road in the hills of northern Italy on…

BEFORE THE RR310 CAME INTO EXISTENCE, THE TVS APACHE RTR 200 4V was the most powerful offering under the brand’s Apache series. Since its début in 2016, it has been a favourite among motorcycles in the 200-cc segment in India. A factor that appealed to many customers was the aggressive price tag that the bike carried compared to the other offerings in the 200-cc segment. The RTR 200 4V is also used in the manufacturer’s One Make Championship and as a training motorcycle at the renowned California Superbike School (CSS), where it proved to be a stunning machine to learn on with the way it handled. The main visual highlight of the new TVS Apache RTR 200 4V is the use of an all-new LED headlight unit with eyebrow-shaped daytime…

THERE ARE MOTORCYCLE RIDERS AND THEN there are motorcycle enthusiasts. Today, we focus on the latter. These are the people who buy a motorcycle because their heart tells them they must have it. Beyond all reasonable thought that includes value for money, dealership network, resale value, and so on, these seemingly crazy ladies and gentlemen buy the motorcycle that speaks to them in a way none other could. This is the tale of a man and his motorcycle from one of the most beautiful islands in our country. Allow me to briefly walk you through the story of Andaman and Nicobar’s Saurav Kumar Guchhait and his resurrected 1998 Yamaha RX-Z (that he named “Legend”). Saurav is a motorcycle enthusiast who hails from Havelock, Andaman and Nicobar islands. The RX-Z under…

NOTE: Dear Readers, Thank you for the large number of letters! However, we request you to send them in a proper format. Firstly, please ensure that your letters are part of the e-mail itself, and not an attachment. Only pictures, wherever necessary, may be sent as attachments. Secondly, please mention the subject in the subject line. For example, if your letter is for the ‘Readers Write’ column, please mention READERS WRITE in the subject line. If it is a technical query to be answered by us, please mention TECHNO MAIL and so on. Otherwise your mail could land up in the spam bin. This will ensure that your letters and queries are published regularly. – Editor An Adventure-seeker’s Dilemma I need your experienced advice. I intend to go in for…

THE ROYAL ENFIELD HIMALAYAN is known to be the motorcycle of choice for one who decides to explore the country on two wheels. There are also a number of reasons that support the Himalayan in this respect and we ourselves had quite a few adventures on the previous BS4 version. Now, with revised emission norms in place, Royal Enfield have launched the new BS6-compliant Himalayan that promises to be a cleaner, greener, and smoother ride. However, that begs the question: does the adventurous thumper still remain true to its rugged personality. Therefore, we put the new BS6-compliant version through a full and thorough road test to find the answer. Here is what we found. Design The story here is simple. What you get are three new colour option: Gravel grey,…

LIKE A REUNION WITH AN OLD FLAME OR A RETURN TO memorable holiday destination, riding a favourite bike after a gap of many years risks serious disappointment. Just as those stunning curves might have slipped or that once golden beach been polluted, so a once loved bike might feel horribly old and slow. That’s why I was more than a little reluctant to have another ride on Yamaha’s RD400C ― a bike which, of all the machines I’ve ever owned, was one of the best. The Yamaha was superb in its day and I had a great time on mine. But motorcycles have progressed so much in the last few decades that riding an RD again all these years later would risk spoiling the memories. So, it was with a…