Innholdsfortegnelse for June 2023 i Motorcycle Mojo Magazine

APPRECIATE EVERY DAY Every issue of my Mojo magazine ends up with several dog-eared pages, marking things that I want to save, research, or remember. But what do I do with page 34 of the May issue (“Marrakech Express, Part II”)? Emily Roberts brilliantly captured life itself with her description of a sunset over the Sahara with, “It’s something that happens every day, of course, but each sunset brings one less sunrise. Each time we witness the awesomeness of the planet’s orbit around that great fiery star, means that another day is taken from us and that the day shouldn’t be taken for granted.” Absolute elegance, Emily. Well done. STU HARRISON VIA EMAIL Emily, I’ve been meaning to send you a note of gratitude for the Max Burns books you…

“PORTUGAL IS AN EPICENTRE FOR HISTORY, NOT TO MENTION IT IS ONE OF THE OLDEST COUNTRIES IN EUROPE” There’s a moment that many people experience in life: the realization that you have nothing to compare your current surroundings to, when everything becomes completely new. I recently revelled in that moment when I realized that I may be a bit uncultured. This became apparent as I gazed with new eyes upon the rich mix of history and culture that characterizes Portugal. On a map, Portugal looks a little like a vertical rectangle, dwarfed between its neighbouring country, Spain, and the Atlantic Ocean. It may be seen as such a small country that you could ride it from top to bottom in a day, and you could, but you’d be missing out.…

In the last decade, we have seen sport touring motorcycle offerings decline and the adventure bike market explode. Adventure bikes are touted as the do-anything bike, from canyon carving to off-road excursions. In practice, if you want a good road bike, you need to give up off-road performance. And vice-versa: if you want to favour off-road then you give up paved road performance. Manufacturers have met the demand for street performance by offering 17-inch wheels on some models. This version is okay on light gravel, but not very good once you leave that behind. A dedicated sport touring bike is okay on light gravel too, as long as you take a moderate pace. This past summer on a trip to the Yukon, between road construction and detours, I think I…

This is a photo of me on my 1966(?) Honda 160 Twin Scrambler. The bike served me well as a means of getting me to school and my part time job. It began life as a demo, long before demo rides became popular, and as such had a less-than-ideal start to life, having been ridden by many of my schoolmates before it came home with me. Still, it was as reliable as a stone axe, enduring all the abuse a teenager could dish out. I rode it to the east coast accompanied by my good friend Wayne Bond who had a CB 160 Sport model. With our goal of riding the Cabot Trail as well as other attractions behind us, it was back to Ontario, where my Honda would endure…

“WHILE IT RETAINS SOME ELEMENTS OF ITS PREVIOUS OUTLINE, IT IS AN ALL-NEW, MODERN TAKE ON THE BATWING FAIRING” Harley-Davidson Launches Two New CVOs “THE ROAD GLIDE’S FRAME-MOUNTED FAIRING RETAINS A SOMEWHAT FAMILIAR “SHARK-NOSE” SILHOUETTE” Harley-Davidson has launched two updated CVO models, both sporting all-new fairing designs. The new models take Harley styling into the future, as the 2023 CVO Road Glide and CVO Street Glide receive the most important styling updates since they were first introduced. The big changes are in the fairing designs, which hadn’t changed much since they were introduced decades ago. The Road Glide’s frame-mounted fairing retains a somewhat familiar “shark-nose” silhouette, but has a more streamlined and aggressive profile. It now sports one wide LED headlight, with the LED turn signals integrated seamlessly into the…

In two decades of travelling to racetracks around the world, I’ve been to Spain’s Almeria Circuit only twice, including this latest trip to test the 2023 BMW S1000RR. It’s a shame, really, because the 4.2-km-long racetrack is smooth and grippy, has long, flowing, fast turns, as well as a 970-metre-long back straight. As I reached the end of said back straight, just before hitting the brakes hard for the sharp right-hand turn, a quick glance at the speedometer revealed I was travelling 282 km/h, while still accelerating in fifth of six gears. But that’s what you’re capable of doing — on a racetrack, of course —when you have more than 200 horsepower on tap, especially when that horsepower is manageable. And manageable it is, because BMW has revised its flagship…

No one will argue that going to a racetrack for a few sessions of high-speed shenanigans is not a lot of fun. Track day weekends booked fully months in advance are proof of that. Riding a track-capable motorcycle that’s equipped to make riding at your limit easier — and faster — is even more fun. Spoiler alert: Spending six 20-minute sessions aboard the 2023 Ducati Streetfighter V4S at Spain’s Andalucia Circuit is the most fun I’ve had on a racetrack to date. Admittedly, I was slightly intimidated by the prospect of thrashing a 205-horsepower naked bike around a racetrack I’d never ridden before, even though the folks at Ducati assured me that the updated Streetfighter V4S was designed to be easier to ride than the previous model. Changes include a…

One can’t argue that Eric Buell is an innovative engineer and designer, having developed a number of unique motorcycles when he headed Buell Motorcycles. Well, he just can’t sit still, and after attempting to reboot the Buell Motorcycle Company as Erik Buell Racing in 2009 (EBR continues to produce limited numbers of motorcycles under new ownership), he joined forces with French investors in 2019 to form a new e-mobility company called Fuell. Buell has been busy developing e-mobility solutions by heading the design department at Fuell, where he helped design what are claimed to be the “longest-range e-Bikes in the world.” The Flluid-2, which features two removable battery packs totalling two kWh, claims a range of 350 km. The Flluid 2, and the more affordable Flluid 3 (1 kWh; 180…

Those who like to tinker on motorcycles have likely attempted to change a tire or two over the years. I’ll admit I’ve had a few opportunities to change my own as well as friends’ tires, and generally speaking, it isn’t that much fun — especially when dealing with cold or old rubber, both of which make the tire carcass stiff and hard to work with. Equally difficult is a tire with a short sidewall. All of the above means you are going to struggle with tire irons, and there’s a good chance you’ll throw out a few expletives, scratch the rim in a few places and skin a couple of knuckles, no matter how careful you are. I had seen the Rabaconda videos online and I thought the same as…

HUSQVARNA 901 EXPEDITION Husqvarna’s gives its first ADV bike, the 901 Norden, a more intense adventure treatment for 2023, adding luggage and a couple of other touring amenities, as well as longer-travel WP XPLOR suspension. It’s calling this new variation the 901 Expedition, and in the next issue, we go exploring with it in South Africa. KING OF THE BAGGERS Indian and Harley-Davidson have been competitors since the dawning of the North American motorcycle industry and King of the Baggers race series challenges both companies against each other in head-to-head touring bike races like you’ve never seen. Find out about the highly competitive series and what it’s like to ride a 283 kg, high-strung 170-horsepower Indian Challenger race bike.…