What’s New:
In an age of 600lbs, 1,200cc adventure tourers wearing knobby tires, it’s easy to forget that dirt bikes don’t need to be big, heavy and expensive. This is the little Yamaha that could. Sharing an aluminum twin-spar chassis and fully-adjustable suspension with the dirt-only WR250F, don’t let the 250cc capacity confuse you — the Yamaha WR250R is a fast motorcycle on-road and off.

Seriously, we had an absolute blast running around LA freeway traffic on these, out-dragging confused Harley riders and taking advantage of the high seats, wide bars and 298lbs weight to carve through stationary traffic. The WR was even happy cruising at 90+ mph in the fast lane for extended periods.

Off-road, it’s a real dirt bike. It’ll jump, it’ll land, it’ll ford rivers and cover your buddies in mud.

What’s Good:
The WR is pricey because you get a lot for your money. Fuel injection, wavy brake discs front and rear, fully adjustable suspension, nice components everywhere you look. This is not a budget motorcycle.

It’s also a Yamaha. Which means it’s going to start on the first push of the button every single time and won’t need its engine ripped apart every 40 hours.

Unlike larger single-cylinder engines, the WR’s doesn’t make your hands numb with vibration, even while cruising at 85mph. The skinny dirt bike seat looks uncomfortable, but it’s got just the right amount of support for hours of comfort.

We didn’t try, but others report seeing top speeds of 90mph +. That from a little 28bhp, 18lb/ft four-stroke 250 single. It gets there quickly too. There’s not much bottom end, but it likes to rev. Max power arrives at 10,000rpm.

Those fancy 46mm, fully adjustable KYB forks and fully adjustable (with ride height) Soqi shock deliver 10.6 inches of travel front and rear. That’s only slightly less than the dirt-only WR250F. Because it’s revy and because the clutch is so linear and predicable, the engine is exceptionally easy to use off-road. Instead of surging ahead with the faintest twist of the throttle, you instead need to work the clutch to negotiate low-speed obstacles and work the gears when things get faster.

One of the main gripes about the WR250R is that the dual sport weighs 278lbs, 44lbs more than the dirt-only WR250F. The thing is, you don’t feel it. Everything about the R feels welter weight from pushing it around, lifting it up, balancing at very low speeds or whatever. Seriously, if you didn’t know and someone told you the weight, you’d assume they were lying.

Going back to the “this is not a budget bike” thing. It looks like the real deal because it is. The engine looks modern, the suspension is flashy, the tapered aluminum swingarm looks like it belongs on a race bike. Get it muddy and pull this up in front a bar and people will think you just rode in from Baja.

At 36.6 inches, the seat is still dirt bike high, yet it’s two inches lower than the WR250R, so you’ll be able to touch the ground as you sit on it. By twiddling the ride height adjuster and dropping the forks, you can lower that even further. New riders won’t be intimidated on the highway either. Saying it easily keeps up with traffic is an understatement. It’s faster than most traffic. This would be a great first motorcycle that’d allow you to develop your dirt skills, but it would also work for an experienced dirt rider looking for a dual sport to ride on the street too.

What’s Bad:
At $6,490 the WR250R isn’t cheap. In fact, it’s $291 more than the Suzuki DR-Z400S. But, that DR-Z doesn’t get 71mpg. That’ll save you money day-to-day, but it helps on the trails too. You’ll see 100-120 miles out of the 1.9 gallon tank.

The Bridgestone TW301/302 tires that are so good on road (even in the pouring rain) are a little limited off compared to dedicated dirt tires, but we were able to blast down sandy fire roads, through mud and over slick, wet rocks in and around water crossings without even stopping to air them down.

The Verdict:
Never owned a dirt bike? This is an non-intimidating way to get started getting dirty. Experienced dirt bike rider looking for a reliable dual-sport? This’ll do way more than just get you to the trails and still entertain you once you’re there.

RideApart Rating: 9/10

The post RideApart Review: Yamaha WR250R appeared first on RideApart.

What’s New:
We really do mean that the CB is identical to the CBR. Same exact steel-tube frame; same exact 471cc parallel-twin making 47bhp and 32lb/ft of torque; same chassis dimensions, non-adjustable forks and preload-only Pro-Link shock; same 320mm single front brake disc with two-piston caliper and optional ABS.

The only changes are in translation from fully-faired to naked. Out goes the fairing to more fully reveal the (surprisingly handsome) engine and the CBR’s fairly high clip-on handlebars are replaced by slightly higher, but much wider flat handlebars.

You sit slightly more upright on the CB500F, but the big difference is that the reach to the handlebars becomes shorter, making this the better choice for shorter riders. In fact, that one little difference makes the whole bike feel more compact. Plus, you get to feel the wind on your face.

Along with the CBR500R and CB500X (riding that one in July), the CB500F completes Honda’s new range of accessible, affordable, economical middleweight bikes. All three are designed to capture the hearts and minds of both novice riders, or someone more experienced just looking for something easy, fun and cheap.

None of these are outright performance bikes; instead of a laser-like focus on going fast (typically achieved at the expense of every other dynamic parameter), they’re broadly applicable, fun bikes that would be good to learn on, good to commute on, good to take trips on or good just to tool around on at the weekends. Motorcycles as exciting transportation, not ridiculous toys.

The Ride:
We rode the CB500F back to back with the CBR500R around Honda’s Torrance, California headquarters. City streets, suburban neighborhoods, a little bit of highway and a few good corners.

The most remarkable thing about both bikes? How at-home they make you feel the second you sit on them. There’s no learning curve necessary to adapt to either, everything is where you expect it to be, everything works exactly how you expect it to work. And it works with you to make riding easy.

That motor is both linear and smooth, but also surprisingly flexible. You can pull away from a dead stop in 3rd gear just as easily as you can full throttle it to the 8,500rpm redline, reaching a top speed of about 115mph.

I was actually surprised to learn the CB weighs 420lbs (wet), it feels no heavier than the 360lbs CBR250R, which itself does an excellent job of feeling like a much lighter bike. It’s utterly unintimidating whether you’re pushing it around in the garage, stopping at a stop sign (often, there’s no need to even put a foot down) or flicking it from left to right through a series of good corners.

Given that welter weight feel, it’s then surprising how stable the bike is at freeway speeds, subject to neither crosswinds nor drafts from the trucks you’ll pass.

The CB500F will simply disappear beneath you, doing anything and everything you ask of it an undramatic, but utterly willing manner. It quickly becomes a two-wheeled extension of your own body.

What’s Good:
Ditching the fairing gives you a greater sense of speed. I passed a cop and immediately slammed on the brakes assuming I was well over the speed limit. When I looked down at the speedometer, I was doing exactly 35mph. The fun I was having was disproportionate to the speed I was going.

Despite the basic spec, the brakes are strong and reassuring. I was one-fingering them like a proper sport bike, using the smooth, predictable throttle response to seamlessly rev-match downshifts in the process. With ABS, they’re particularly good, bringing you to a commanding stop free of any judder or vibration.

Like the CBR500R, comfort is also excellent. You could ride either bike all-day without any aches or pains. Something that should hold true whether you’re 5’ 4” or 6’ 4”.

I also like the naked CB’s styling. It’s no retro round headlight, but it’s fundamentally a motorcycle without being overly aggressive or futuristic.

And, while remaining exceptionally easy to ride, it’s also surprisingly quick. Even on straights only about 100 yards long, I was able to pass one or two cars in able to ensure I had the next corner all to myself.

Like the CBR500R, the CB returns 71mpg in mixed riding and has a tank range of just under 300 miles.

What’s Bad:
Like the CBR, the CB500F’s suspension is underdamped. That’s fine for 90 percent of your riding, but when you really start dialing in some speed in corners, it walks around rather than encouraging you to lean further. It’d be a great bike to learn how to go fast on, but lifelong speedfreaks like me will want a little more from the suspension.

Ground clearance will also limit your lean angle in corners. The pegs are high enough to give you great control over the bike and all day comfort, but just a little to low for very aggressive cornering.

Riders planning distance on this naked model would also do well to fit an aftermarket windscreen. The little headlight cowl does a good job of minimizing turbulence, but sitting at 85mph for hours on end will get tiring without some wind protection.

The Price:
$5,500. Not only is that a useful $500 cheaper than the CBR500R, but it just makes the CB500F uniquely affordable. There’s not really any sporty nakeds around either this price or engine capacity, giving Honda a very strong unique selling point.

Entry-level standards like the Suzuki TU250X or CCW Ace are much slower and much less capable than the Honda. The CB500F is as good outside the city as it is in.

To get a bike of similar capability, you’d have to spend up to the $7,999 Suzuki SFV650. That’s a bit faster, but more or less the same idea.

The Verdict:
Affordable, practical, fun and easy to ride, the CB500F is an astoundingly good all-round motorcycle. It’d make a great first bike for a novice rider, a great commuter for anyone on a budget or just a great second or third bike for someone who doesn’t always need to pull something expensive and difficult out of the garage just to get from A to B. It asks you to make no sacrifices in quality or functionality compared to a bigger or more expensive machine, but all that accessibility and friendliness does, like the CBR500R, ultimately blunt its outright sporting ability. This is a bike for everyone but someone looking for the ultimate in performance.

RideApart Rating: 10/10 (The Buyer’s Guide will update with this new information shortly)

Gear:
Helmet: Schuberth S2 ($700)
Suit: Aerostich Roadcrafter Tactical ($897 before custom work)
Gloves: Racer Sicuro ($240)
Boots: Dainese Cafe ($260)

The post RideApart Review: 2013 Honda CB500F appeared first on RideApart.

Photos: Kevin Wing

What’s New:
The CBR500R is one part of Honda’s all-new, three-bike 500 range. A steel tube frame wraps the 471cc parallel-twin engine’s perimeter, connecting the non-adjustable 41mm forks to the pre-load adjustable Pro-Link shock. There’s a single, 320mm front brake disc with a two-piston caliper and ABS is a $500 option. All that’s then wrapped in a handsome, all-encompassing fairing that’s one part 2013 Honda CBR1000R and one part pre-VTEC VFR800.

If that sounds pretty basic, that’s because it is. There’s no huge engine or fancy suspension or trick electronics or unprecedented metallurgy reducing the number of welds in the frame. That’s a good thing, because this isn’t a cutting edge tool targeted at the fractional percentage of riders who need dialed-in frame flex. It’s a practical, affordable, economical, fun bike for the everyman.

Pro-Link is also used on bikes like the CBR1000RR, CBR600RR and Gold Wing.

Continuing to look at specs only, that liquid-cooled motor develops 47bhp at its 8,500rpm redline and 32lb/ft of torque at 7,000rpm. That motivates an all-up kerb weight of 425lbs.

These new 500s sorta span categories, but other accessible sport bikes like the Kawasaki Ninja 650 and Suzuki SFV650 appear to have it beat on paper. The Ninja makes 71bhp, 47lb/ft and weighs just 35lbs more. The Suzuki’s v-twin develops 66bhp and 47lb/ft and weighs 446lbs. Perhaps crucially, the Kawasaki goes for $7,599 and the Suzuki $7,999. The CBR500R? $5,999.

The cheaper Kawasaki Ninja 300 goes for just $4,799 but makes only 39bhp and 20lb/ft of torque, powering a 380lbs curb weight.

At first glance, that stacks the Honda up against some tough competition. A little more money gets you more speed, less cash gets you most of the way there.

The Ride:
Where most press launches take place on some fancy race track or an exotic mountain road — either carefully chosen to flatter specific elements of the new bike’s performance — Wednesday morning we just picked the bike up at Honda’s American HQ in a Los Angeles suburb, then tooled around local roads for the day.

A mix of congested city streets, stop sign-ridden suburban neighborhoods, flowing back roads, tight, bumpy corners and even a stretch of highway made up the day. In short, the exact environments in which this bike is going to have to perform.

Initial impressions are that the 500 feels like a more adult-sized Honda CBR250R. Its additional 70lbs don’t translate to the experience of shifting the bike back and forth between your legs and the additional half inch of seat height doesn’t make the 500 any less friendly.

Pull away and you’re again treated to a similar experience to that single-cylinder CBR250R. Low-speed balance is perfect and the controls intuitively precise, smooth and predictable. You feel at one with the CBR500R after the first five feet.

It’s not until you’re out on the road that the 500 begins to demonstrate the advantage of its greater displacement, moving through traffic with both more authority and ease.

The flexibility of the engine is actually the biggest surprise. It won’t bog or disappoint no matter where you are in the rev range. After switching bikes with another journalist during a photoshoot, I accidentally pulled away in third gear. Didn’t notice until I had to come to a stop and try and find neutral. Most other small to mid-capacity bikes would have simply stalled had I tried something similar.

That power continues in a completely linear fashion right up to the 8,500rpm redline. 4,000rpm is about half the total power, 6k is most of it and you can toodle around at 2 or 3k if you really want to. You get exactly what you expect out of the 471cc engine.

What’s more surprising is the handling. The CBR500R steers extremely rapidly (thank the narrow 160-section rear tire for that), but is also very stable. Again, the overall impression is of an intuitive man/machine connection. The Honda simply does what you ask of it.

Picking up the pace on the only three real corners within 20 miles of Honda’s headquarters, some limitations in the basic spec do become apparent. I’d hoped to show off by dragging knee for the photos, but through these bumpy corners at least, the relatively soft damping had the bike squirming around as we leaned far enough over to scrape peg.

The ergonomic triangle is open enough to make possible all-day comfort, without undue weight on the wrists or cramped legs, but also canted forward just enough to give you real control over the bike. Some other time, we are going to come away with knee down photos on this thing, it’s just going to need some smoother pavement.

The biggest difference to the CBR250R is on the highway, where the CBR500R’s performance is more than enough to command your relationship with other traffic. Top speed is 115mph-ish and it accelerates up to about 100mph with real speed.

After a while, the novel experience of riding a comparatively slow motorcycle wears off and you begin to appreciate what a cohesive package the CBR500R actually is. Sure, some bikes are faster. Others are cheaper. None simply gets on with the business of being a motorcycle as well as this little Honda.

What’s Good:
The fuel economy. 71mpg is better than the Honda NC700X’s fancy car-based engine and pretty much on par with the 74mpg CBR250R, while making 20bhp more. Combined with the 4.1-gallon tank and figuring $3.60 for a gallon of 87 octane, a $14.75 fill-up will carry you just under 300 miles.

And you can use that tank range on the CBR500R too, because it’s hugely comfortable. The seat leaves plenty of room to move front to back and side to side, while still facilitating body position for sport riding. The pegs are low enough to leaver your legs uncramped, but again just tall enough to allow you to easily shift your body weight. Same with the bars. Just perfect ergonomics.

Wind protection from the fairing and relatively low screen is also excellent. Again, contributing to both comfort an fuel economy.

The engine is willing and able to give you more than you’ll need anywhere. While I did find myself at full throttle a few times today, it was only when I was really trying to go fast. And, unlike on faster bikes, you’ll actually reach full throttle here and there, meaning you’re actually using your motorcycle.

We’ve repeated this word a few times here: intuitive. Everything about the CBR500R just feels right, working with you to make your riding better rather than getting in the way. The brakes bite when you expect them to, delivering the amount of stopping power you expect. The clutch lever engages when it should. The steering does what you expect it to. All that just adds up to a bike that will make you a better rider every time you ride it.

The quality is also astonishing. The paint, the panel fit, the movement of the controls; this feels like a $10k+ motorcycle, not a budget commuter. Check out the brushed aluminum belly pan on the right side. Nice.

What’s Bad:
The suspension is under damped for truly fast riding. Having said that, this is not intended to be a smaller CBR600RR-style race replica that’s only good for canyon carving. It’s an everyday fun, pretty quick bike that the vast majority of riders will actually be able to ride quickly thanks to its accessible nature.

Ground clearance is also somewhat lacking if you’re really pressing on. The payoff is the kind of comfort more focused bikes can only dream of.

The Price:
$5,999 for the base bike, $6,499 for one with ABS. That’s a sweet spot in the market, sitting comfortably between the $4,200 CBR250R and $7,500 Honda NC700X. It’s also just over half the price of the $11,490 CBR600RR, making it an excellent entry to the sport market. Put $1,000 down, and you’ll be able to finance a CBR500R for about the same price as your iPhone costs you every month.

It’s also usefully cheaper than the larger, 650cc competition while feeling like a more complete, cohesive, modern product. That, while delivering the kind of real world performance that smaller, cheaper bikes simply lack.

This is a real motorcycle that can really do everything, and make it fun, for just $6k.

What Others Say:
“…it’s easy to get on with and novice friendly, a doddle to ride, the power delivery will never catch anybody out – it’s brisk rather than fast but the pleasing surprise is that if you want to give it a good fistful of revs it’s truly engaging and fun…” — MCN

“With [its] unintimidating but torquey and responsive engines, strong ABS brakes and planted feel, [the CBR500R is] designed to reduce the number of opportunities for new riders to induce errors, and to do [its] best to forgive them when they do occur.” — Visordown

The Verdict:
Want to get into the sport of motorcycling? Start here. Seriously, don’t argue, just go buy a CBR500R and start developing your skills. You won’t find a more forgiving, intuitive, easy package anywhere else, regardless or price or capacity and you’ll be rewarded with a surprisingly fun, imminently practical package too.

Don’t buy an R6, that’ll just make you slow and dangerous. Don’t buy some janky old bike, it’ll just break down and cost you a fortune when it does. Sell your car, buy a CBR500R and ride it everywhere, you’ll have a blast and you’ll never look back.

RideApart Rating: 10/10 (the buyer’s guide will update with the new information shortly)

Gear:
Helmet: Schuberth S2 ($700)
Suit: Aerostich Roadcrafter Tactical ($897 before custom work)
Gloves: Racer Sicuro ($240)
Boots: Dainese Cafe ($260)

The post RideApart Review: 2013 Honda CBR500R appeared first on RideApart.

Photos: Kevin Wing

What’s New:
It was at the 2013 Chicago International Motorcycle Show in February, Honda unveiled four versions of the CTX700 with its rubber-mounted, liquid-cooled 670cc parallel twin engine. Included in the line-up is a pair of naked versions CTX700N and CTX700ND and then fairing-equipped CTX700 and CTX700D. The ‘D’ stands for Dual Clutch Transmission and is offered along with ABS as standard fit on just two of the four CTX models.

Essentially the CTX is a variation of the Honda NC700X platform, but has been designed as a reliable, starter bike and specifically aimed at getting new riders on to motorcycles for the first time at an affordable price in a cruiser-style package.

At first glance it’s a blend of cruiser and sport bike while the stripped down version has what Honda describes as an ‘urban roadster’ look and feel. It’s not a head turning sort of a motorcycle but the CTX has some nice lines and we liked the overall look and feel of the naked version.

From the outset Honda’s game plan was to make the CTX range non-intimidating for novices while still presenting an attractive proposition as a practical every day ride for more experienced riders.

The CTX700 use Honda’s proven fuel-injected, four valves per cylinder, parallel-twin engine. Like the NC700X, this has been mounted into the CTX frame at a 62-degree forward slant to lower the centre of gravity and make the bike more agile and responsive, particularly at low speeds. Power is delivered through a six-speed gearbox to the rear wheel by chain drive.

Honda makes no performance claims for the CTX but the same motor in the NC makes 51bhp at 6,250rpm and a fairly flat torque curve peaking at 44lb/ft at 4,750rpm. That’s not a lot of power when you consider the lightest CTX version, the CTX700N, weighs in 478lbs right up to 516lbs for the CTX700D with fairing, but that’s still more than sufficient for a novice rider or for daily use around town.

Honda also believes the clutch lever on motorcycles maybe coming to an end. So it has spent some considerable time and investment in developing its own Automatic Dual Clutch Transmission (DCT) specifically for bikes and the CTX is the first in the range to use the latest generation of the Honda system.

On the DCT model, you can manually shift via these buttons or a prehensile foot shift lever.

Ease of use for the CTX was a priority for Honda, which is why DCT is offered as a model option. That might immediately make you think of scooters and less rider involvement and therefore it has no place on a motorcycle. But that’s not really the case with the CTX.

Honda refers to its DCT as automatic, which is a little confusing as there are still conventional clutches used on the CTX and not torque converters that you would expect to find in an automatic transmission. What’s actually changed is they way you operate the clutch – you can choose automatic or electronically manual mode at a flick of a switch.

For the CTX700D and CTX700ND there is no clutch lever or gear lever. At a press of a button you select your transmission setting either ‘Normal’ or ‘Sport’ and then just twist the throttle and go.

Honda’s DCT uses a pair of clutches – one for start-up, first, third and fifth gear and another for second, fourth and sixth. By pre-selecting the next gear the system delivers a smooth seamless gearshift both up and down. On the move you can opt for ‘Normal’ riding, or ‘Sport’, which shortens the shift and increases the engine’s revs. If you want a more sporting ride you can also shift up and down with buttons mounted on the left side of the handlebars.

The DCT’s technology means it’s also capable of adapting to a rider’s style of riding and selects the best gear and preferred shift pattern when cruising along in either mode.

All four versions of the CTX have the same 320mm single front disc with two-piston caliper and there’s a single 240mm disc and single piston on the rear. They work well but as this bike is aimed at the novice rider we would have liked to see more confidence inspiring twin discs on the front particularly for a bike that weighs in around 500lbs. There is though Honda’s dual-channel ABS for the ‘D’ specification models as part of the DCT package.

Honda’s designers have come up with a new riding position too and although the CTX shares the same 17-inch wheels and steel tube frame of the NC700X to maintain a sporting ride, it has been slightly modified to give a comfortable and low 28.3-inch seat height (the NC’s is a still-accesible 31 inches). The rear of the CTX frame has been altered too, allowing Honda’s quick release accessory hard bags to be fitted.

That lower seat rail makes the bike easy to mount and maneuver and the seating position is more upright with forward pegs positioned in front of the pulled-back handlebars.

The CTX’s wheelbase is 60.2 inches, a fraction shorter than the NC700X, and it has a rake of 27.7 degrees and a trail of 4.4 inches. The front suspension is a 41 mm fork combined with a single shock giving 4.2 inches of travel, while the rear suspension is a Pro-Link single shock suspension with 4.3 inches of travel that is nonadjustable.

You get some easy choices in the styling department too. The naked version of the CTX looks mildly sporting, while the faired in version offers better rider protection, a small screen and stereo speaker grilles fitted if you want to upgrade your bike at a later date. Engine and transmission casing are all flat black and CTX colors are limited to Candy Red, Black and Pearl White.

Convenient ‘Do Rag storage above the tank.

Instrumentation is clear and precise with a simple digital readout that is easy to see even in bright sunlight. There is a small storage area on the top of the tank under a pop-up lid that is handy for a cell phone and wallet but it unlike the NC700X, which stores some of the fuel under its seat, the CTX keeps it all in the tank. That drops fuel capacity from 3.7 to 3.2 gallons, which still maintains a practical 200-mile range.
The Ride

Honda has hit the nail firmly on the head by offering the CTX as a non-threatening, fun motorcycle for a novice rider. Often when we test bikes it takes a bit of time to get used to a new motorcycle’s layout and discover where everything is.

In conventional form with the clutch lever, the CTX is simple to ride and it took just a matter of minutes to get to grips with it. The low ride height makes it easy to maneuver at low speed and it’s evident that Honda has spent some time trying to find the optimum riding position on the CTX.

Some people may find that it’s too upright for them but for a novice rider just starting out this cruiser style set-up is a good compromise that allows you to see well ahead down the road whilst feeling in control of the bike at all times.

It would be unfair to unduly criticize the CTX for being underpowered. It’s at best peppy and revs well but it’s definitely no street racer. You can still do unkind things to it and it won’t flinch at all but lopes along feeling reassuringly well planted on the road. Out on the freeway it’s composed and comfortable too and the faired-in version of the CTX is definitely the model to consider if you’re planning to do a lot of touring or using the bike as a daily commute.

We raised a question mark over the CTX’s weight as it’s not exactly lean but it changes direction nicely and far better than you would expect and when you come to a stop no matter how small you are you should always be able get two feet on the ground with that low seating position.

At all speeds the CTX gives a sensation of being solid and secure. You can lean it over in the corners and even attempt to drag the pegs and whilst its performance won’t make the hairs stand up on the back of your neck it’s still a fun ride.

The limited suspension travel is probably the best compromise on a bike of this size and type, but it would be nice to adjust it and personalize the CTX’s set-up for your own riding style just a little bit more. Something that Honda admitted it looked at but decided against as it would have made the CTX a little more expensive.

Honda’s DCT option on the CTX is an interesting proposition. For a few years now, the auto industry has been offering paddle shift and dual clutches but the early systems were jerky and were forever hunting for the correct gear to match the engine speed.

Honda has clearly learned from the automobile companies’ mistakes and its second-generation system makes riding the CTX even easier and faster than the conventional clutch CTX version. It does take a bit of time to understand what DCT is capable of and for the first few miles of riding a DCT-equipped CTX we were not entirely sure what to do with our now redundant left leg.

For experienced riders it’s still not going to be that involving. There are two modes – ‘Normal’ and ‘Sport’ and you can switch between automatic sport and manual sport and change gears yourself at a press of a button on the handlebars. In the car world by opting for the sport mode you can also adapt the suspension to suit a more aggressive driving style. You can’t do this on the CTX. Nor can you turn off the ABS.

However, from a rookie’s point of view the Honda automatic clutch system makes a lot of sense. No more fumbling for gear changes and once you understand how it works it’s really not that difficult. From our perspective it removes some of the riding experience but for a new rider it’s hassle free and an asset if the CTX is your first bike.

Honda is firmly committed to its DCT program and has said the CTX is just the first of many of its motorcycles that will have this system. It maybe early days but potentially Honda thinks the clutch lever could soon be a thing of the past. We’re not sure where we stand yet on that argument.

The CTX700N adds a fairing, screen and optional panniers.

What’s Good:
If you have wanted to take up motorcycling but were unsure where to start Honda may well have the simplest and most straight forward answer for you currently available in the market. In conventional transmission form the CTX is a sprightly, easy to ride non-dramatic motorcycle. It does exactly what it says on the box.

With the DCT option you can also have a bike that has some clever technology that is confidence inspiring, ABS as standard and a set-up that make even the most nervous rider quickly feel at home in the saddle. And if you want to slip a bit of fun into the bargain put it into ‘sport’ manual mode and enjoy the ride.

What’s Bad:
This is not the bike for the experienced rider. It simply doesn’t have enough power or flat out sport performance and ability. Some would say it’s simply not involving enough. But they are not the customers whom Honda is after. That small 3.27-gallon gas tank compromises the CTX’s long-range touring ability and we would have liked to see twin front disc brakes fitted as standard.

The Price:
For an entry-level price of $6,999 a novice rider can get on the naked CTX 700N and that’s good value. For $1,000 more you can opt for the same bike but with DCT and ABS. If you plan on going touring the CTX 700 fairing version with conventional clutch starts at $7799 or splash out $8,799 for the CTX700D and go for the automatic clutch and ABS. You pays your money you takes your choice.

What Others Say:
“Perhaps predictably, many in the motorcycle community are less than excited at what some term bland, unexciting bikes. Still, there seems near universal agreement that the CTX700s have a place in the market and it will be certainly be interesting to see if Honda heads into sportier territory with additional models in the CTX range.” — Gizmag

“Sitting on the CTX, the low seat height is extremely inviting and non-intimidating. Ergonomics feel very cruiser-like, with the hand controls placed directly in front of the rider. Reach to the pegs is natural too, even for my stubby 30-inch inseam. The seat is broad and the cockpit roomy, meaning riders of various body types should find their comfort zone quickly and easily on the CTX.” — Motorcycle.com

The Verdict:
Honda makes no excuses with the CTX. It has made a concerted effort to offer a bike that will appeal to new riders but who were unsure of exactly where to begin. As a first step into the motorcycle world, on a cruiser-style bike, the CTX is a sensible, no nonsense approach. And, with a starting price of $6,999, Honda may be onto something here. And if that means more people will get on a bike and join the motorcycling community because of the CTX then we’re all for it. And this is just one bike in a multi-faceted pursuit of that goal. CRF250L, CBR250R, the new 500 range, the NC700X and now this CTX. Getting started riding on a truly great, appealing, capable, friendly motorcycle has never been easier.

RideApart Rating: 8/10

Gear:
Helmet: Bell Custom 500 ($100)
Jacket: Alpinestars Viper Air ($200)
Gloves: Alpinestars Scheme Kevlar ($60)

Tim Watson is RideApart’s new Cruiser Editor. A veteran of the auto industry, Tim also writes motorcycle travel books. There and Back Again to See How Far It Is tells the story of his travels around small town America on a Harley-Davidson.

The post RideApart Review: Honda CTX700 appeared first on RideApart.

Photos: Josh Manning

What’s New:
The Aprilia Tuono V4R is an absolute beast of a motorcycle. 168bhp in a naked bike is just ridiculous and takes real concentration and commitment to get anywhere near full throttle.

Unlike most other naked bikes, it literally is just a superbike shorn of its fairing. Same frame, save 999cc V4, same suspension (as the RSV4 R). The only downgrades come in the form of non-Monobloc Brembo radial brake calipers and slightly heavier wheels. The bike retains Aprilia Performance Ride Control, the most sophisticated set of rider aiding electronics yet. APRC includes user-configurable traction control, wheelie control, quickshift and even launch control; it really does help you ride faster, safer.

What’s Good:
The Pirelli Diablo Rosso Corsa tires on both this beautiful black version and that ugly yellow one we filmed with show significant signs of tearing, indicating that the slides I’m feeling aren’t just occurring in my imagination. That I (a long ways from being a rider of Jamie’s caliber) am comfortable ringing so much performance out of such a fast bike, on the road, is perhaps the best possible endorsement of APRC’s efficacy.

Wheelie control? Well, riding with a former racer two nights ago, the Tuono easily walked away from his Z1000, simply putting down its power in situations where the Z1000 would just lift its front. It’s not that the Tuono won’t wheelie, it’s just that the front end comes up much, much later than you’d expect with wheelie control switched on. Switch it off and you can pull roll-on power wheelies simply by opening the throttle in 4th gear at 100mph. Just ask anyone of the drivers on the La Brea on-ramp to 10 West around 7pm last Thursday.

Of course, the bike you see here isn’t standard, instead serving as a rolling test bed for the brand’s own “Aprilia Racing” upgrades.

Complete with Aprilia’s “Race” engine mapping, the Akrapovic exhaust noticeably smooths out power delivery, even where the stock fueling is already very, very good. It’s no louder than stock either, while ditching a fair amount of weight and losing the catalytic converter. The stock pipe on this Tuono and the new RSV4 is unbelievably loud, straight from the showroom. The “Aprilia Racing” mirrors and levers aren’t a big deal, but both components are super high quality and feel really nice to use.

The Ohlins TTX36 shock is predictably the biggest change. Honestly, I think it helps more than TC as it actively aids traction rather than merely limiting slides. If you want to upgrade a Tuono or RSV4, spend here first.

You can read a good explanation of what twin-tube shocks like the TTX36 do here.

What’s Bad:
In transition from fully-faired race replica to upright naked, the Tuono has lost some of the planted feeling of the RSV4’s front end. Credit that to a minor shift in the rider’s weight from front to rear due to those nice, comfy, high bars. It’s not a huge difference, but leads to less confidence in the front end while riding on the limit. I had a pretty significant front-end slide while filming that apparently looked more dramatic to Jamie behind me than it felt from onboard. It’s a credit to how communicative those tires and the Tuono’s suspension are that it didn’t feel like catching the slide on my knee was a huge deal.

What Others Say:
“After flogging the Tuono through several miles of extremely technical tarmac, I realized that I wasn’t being physically worked like I would have been on most any other machine at that same pace. The relaxed sporting ergos, light controls, nimble handing, confidence-bolstering electronics and stirring exhaust beat put me in a zone that made me feel anatomically connected to the Tuono.” — CycleWorld

“…as you’d have a right to expect, this breathed on Tuono V4R was magnificent around Valencia. It’s difficult to see how many non-streetfighter superbikes could have been much quicker, as it was turning sharply and accurately, heeling over smoothly and predictably and remaining stable even with the brakes trying to strip the tread from the front tyre and the slipper clutch desperately shedding back torque.” — Kevin Ash

The Price:
With a price newly slashed from $14,999 to $12,999, the Tuono is something of a bargain. Ducati no longer sells the less-powerful, less-capable Streetfighter 1098, but even the smaller Streetfighter 848 comes in at $300 more than the Aprilia.

The $10,999, 136bhp Kawasaki Z1000 is cheaper, but noticeably slower in a straight line and would be left for dead in corners, where both its suspension quality and ground clearance are sub par.

And then you start comparing the Tuono to less comfortable liter bikes, the cheapest of which, the GSX-R1000, costs $13,799, makes about the same power and comes with lower quality brakes and suspension. And no electronics.

An exotic brand, a hugely powerful V4, good suspension, all-day comfort and the best electronic rider aids out there? This Aprilia is a bargain.

The Verdict:
As fast and as capable as a modern superbike, all in a comfortable package.

RideApart Rating: 9/10

Gear:
Helmet: Icon Alliance ($160)
Suit: Alpinestars RaceReplica ($2,895)
Boots: Alpinestars SuperTech R ($450)
Gloves: Alpinestars GP-Pro ($240)
Back/Chest Protector: Alpinestars Track Protection Vest ($190)
Tailpack: Kriega US-10 ($100)

The post RideApart Review: Aprilia Tuono V4R appeared first on RideApart.

What’s New
First off, the new F800GT (Grand Tourisimo) is not just a rehash of the ST. On the face of it the changes may only look skin deep but some of them really do go a further than just that.

In a typically German approach to efficient engineering, BMW methodically went back over the ST and ditched a lot of things it (and its customers) really didn’t like. Gone is the ST’s fairing, seating position, suspension settings and overall riding performance that veered towards the sporting and less to the touring.

BMW has up-rated almost everything else that it kept and then added a whole bunch of technical improvements to help propel the F800GT back into the midsize sport touring sector as a serious contender.

So what makes a GT different from an ST?

The F800GT still uses the same 798cc water-cooled, DOHC, parallel-twin engine, but its fuelling has been re-mapped to produces 90bhp at 8,000rpm. That’s an increase of just 5bhp over the ST. Not an earth shattering change but enough of an upgrade to compliment all of the F800GT’s new features and a slight weight increase over the recently departed ST.

The six-speed transmission that was used on the ST is still in place along with the same ratios, as too is the belt final drive.

There is a also a new exhaust manifold and rear silencer taken from the BMW F800R and some heat shields in the passenger heel area. None of these are massive changes either but maybe in hindsight these are all things that BMW should have considered for the ST at its initial launch.

The light aluminum bridge frame is carried over but BMW has extended the swing arm by two inches for the F 800 GT to improve ride comfort. And the suspension has been tweaked with spring travel reduced by 0.6 inches to 4.9 inches to help stability and sharpen up the ride and reduce any wallowing.

There’s also an easy to get to hand wheel for adjusting the spring mount on the rear strut that is unobtrusive and straight forward to use.

The rear frame on the F800GT has been slightly revised as well to accommodate an increase in load capacity to 456lbs, some 24lbs more than the previous ST.

A big change is adoption of the latest dual channel BMW Motorrad ABS as standard. It’s smaller than the previous generation — around 5lbs lighter according to BMW — and uses an additional pressure sensor in the front circuit to improve performance, but you can’t turn the system off.

The F800GT has a new windshield and a completely re-designed fairing that is wider than the ST’s and offers better weather protection for rider and passenger. And, to our eyes, it makes the F800GT look better and more purposeful. It’s a good-looking bike.

The instrument and switchgear has also been given a makeover with the on-board computer display, previously available only as an option, and electronic bar readings for fuel level and engine temperature now included as standard.

Tank capacity for the F800GT drops a little to 4.0 gallons compared to the ST’s 4.2 gallons. But despite the slight power hike, BMW’s engineers have made the parallel twin engine slightly more efficient and the company claims 69mpg at an average 55mph. That should, in theory, give it a reasonable touring range of 250 miles plus, depending on how you ride.

The top half of the F800GT’s tank, like the ST, is taken up by the induction system, which means gas is still stored under the rider’s seat and in the lower portion of the tank.

With a revised model comes a new color palette but don’t get too excited as there are just three – Valencia Orange and Dark Graphite Metallic. Plus a mundanely named Light White, which we thought looked terrific and really suited our F800GT test bike.

There are also new lighter, re-designed cast aluminum wheels that are an uncomplicated design and look good and are equipped with Continental Tires — 120/70 ZR17 front and 180/55 ZR 17 at the rear.

So in a nutshell that’s the standard 2013 BMW F800GT which replaces the outgoing BMW F800ST.

However, it’s normally only at the end of a review that we start to talk about pricing but at this point we need to get into dollar numbers as it’s important to see what we’re really looking at and riding is not all what it seems.

The good news is that even with all of the new equipment and changes the F800GT comes in at a reasonable base price of $11,890. That’s the exact same price as the outgoing ST.

However, in standard form the F800GT could be something of a rare bike as BMW says it’s expecting more than 70 percent of all sales to include some pretty comprehensive — and pricey — options.

If you want to add BMW’s Comfort Package, which includes heated grips, center stand, on board computer and saddle bag mounts, that sees the price rise by $505. And you’ve still got to buy BMW’s hard bags at $826 a pair to put on it.

BMW is claiming a first in the midsize touring bike sector with Electronic Suspension Adjustment (ESA) available only as an option on the F800GT. It allows you to adjust the rear shock on the move with three choices – ‘comfort’, ‘normal’ and ‘sport’.

You can also tick the options box for the Automatic Safety Control (ASC) that prevents rear wheel spin and is really useful in the wet or bad road conditions and, unlike the standard ABS, it can be turned off. BMW has tied ESA and ASC in with a tire pressure monitor and you can take all three as the Safety Package for $795.

The Ride
The F800GT is a competent and capable motorcycle. BMW has taken the criticisms of the ST to heart and come back with a bike that has better touring capability and increased rider and passenger comfort.

It’s also a blast to ride and makes a lot of sense as an entry level bike for the novice who wants some touring capability, but doesn’t yet need or want all the power of a bigger bike.

Out on the road, the F800GT has a far better riding position than the ST. Compared to the ST, the pegs have been moved 0.4 inches forward and the same amount down so you sit more upright, but it all feels more comfortable and the re-designed windshield and fairing work well too on the freeway and in strong cross-winds.

The parallel-twin engine is no slouch either. It’s not the most powerful motor out there but does have a couple of really good aspects — low down grunt makes it reasonably quick off the line and if you keep the throttle wide open it will keep going all the way up to rev limiter with little complaint. It sounds good too. Gruff at low speeds and pretty raw when you start to press on hard.

The F800GT is a likeable motorcycle to ride. It’s not intimidating and it will pull along in every gear, even in top, at almost anywhere in the rev range. It won’t, though, satisfy the customer who is used to a bigger or more powerful engine in their bike as there’s just 63 lb/ft of torque on offer at 5,800rpm.

That’s probably fine with BMW as those buyers are not the type customer it’s after with this 800 anyway.

On the move the F800GT feels taut and lithe and you can ride it hard and aggressively. Although you would have to be doing something pretty stupid to get the ASC to step in and take over.

But it was definitely nice option to have as we wound our way around the BMW test route outside of Temecula, California on damp roads through morning mist and drizzle.

The route was an assorted mass of different roads surfaces, a few dry river crossings covered in sand and some very narrow, tight twisty roads. Throughout, the F800GT felt composed, stable and never once missed its footing.

Handling is definitely one of the F800GT’s strong points. It’s aluminum frame and wheels have helped to keep the weight down. Even with a full gas tank it comes in at 470lbs, a couple less than BMW’s mid-size ADV bike, the F800GS.

It stops well too, with 320mm twin discs up front and a single 265mm disc at the rear. A good combination when you include the latest BMW dual channel ABS that comes as standard. It’s smooth and progressive and you get none of that feedback ‘chatter’ through the brake lever that you used to expect on earlier ABS.

If you go with the ESA (Electronic Suspension Adjustment) option on the F800GT you can select which suspension set-up you want either to suit your frame of mind or the type of roads you’re riding. At the touch of a switch you can adjust the damping while on the move to alter the rebound stage of the rear spring for ‘comfort’, ‘normal’ or ‘sport’.

For us, it was hard to notice any real difference between the three. So we mostly kept the ESA in ‘normal’ mode and found it to be the best balance for the bike. So ESA is a nice to have rather than an essential and going without it isn’t going to make a huge impact on the F800GT’s ability or the overall ride experience.

In fact, when you’re riding the F800GT, you never feel you’re hauling the bike around and, despite the impression of size with its new fuller faring, it feels agile and light and changes direction far quicker than you think it should or possibly could.

What’s Good
The F800GT is a big step forward by BMW in the midsize sports tourer class. After the launch of the ST, BMW told us it went away and listened to all of its customers’ likes and dislikes about the bike and has come back with a refined, more focused version that seems lights years away from the original ST.

It looks good to us too. It handles well; is fun to ride and is eager and willing. Plus, when you really want to take that long road trip, it can accommodate two people and 22lbs of luggage in each of the hard bags and would have absolutely no problem doing that for mile after mile.

What’s Bad
The F 800 GT is not an inexpensive motorcycle for its class. Nor are the numerous options you can choose to put on it exactly cheap. But there’s a lot to select – everything from a titanium Akrapovic sports silencer at $993 to a center stand at $184.95. Our advice is make your choices wisely and go for the options you only really need on a bike of this type. The aftermarket, too, should quickly have some more affordable accessories.

The Price
In entry-level specification, with ABS as standard and BMW’s three-year warranty, the F800GT, at first glance, seems fairly reasonable at $11,890.

However, on top of this base price we’d take just the standard no cost option seat and then add stability control (ASC), detachable hard case bags and mounts at $1376. That brings the total up to $13,266 for what we think makes the best version of the F800GT for us.

This means the F800GT is several thousand dollars more expensive than anything that the Japanese manufacturers currently have to offer in the midsize sport touring segment.

Compare it also to ADV-style bikes like the $7,500 Honda NC700X or $8,500 Suzuki V-Strom — both also all-day comfy, surprisingly quick and extremely versatile — and it seems even more expensive.

What Others Say
“At times I felt like I was being overly aggressive with the GT, riding it the way it was never designed for, by braking too late and hard into roundabouts, being ham-fisted on the gas to entice the traction control to show its hand and trying to clutch up wheelies but the GT, like a trusting, loyal but slightly dopey dog, didn’t question any of this, it just got on with it.” — Visordown

“After two days in the saddle, the F800GT started to warm on me. As I said at the start, it’s never going to get the adrenaline racing but then it’s never meant to either. It’s a great do out all sports tourer that will be friendly to new riders or offer plenty of bike for more experienced riders too.” — Bennetts

The Verdict
BMW appears to have got the balance right with the F800GT. It has just the right blend of sport and tourer for a motorcycle of this size and type. It also makes a sensible proposition for anyone considering taking up motorcycling for the first time and it even has appeal for the more experienced rider who wants a light, but robust sports tourer that will happily eat up the miles in a no nonsense sort of way. And where this BMW really scores is you’ll have a lot of fun doing that and just getting out there and riding it.

BMW hasn’t changed the world with the introduction of the F800GT but it has upped the game in the midsize sport touring class.

RideApart Rating: 8/10

Gear
Helmet: Bell Custom 500 ($100)
Jacket: Alpinestars Viper Air Textile ($199.95)
Gloves: Alpinestars Scheme Kevlar ($59.95)

Tim Watson is RideApart’s new Cruiser Editor. A veteran of the auto industry, Tim also writes motorcycle travel books. There & Back Again To See How Far It Is tells the story of his travels around small town America on a Harley-Davidson.

The post RideApart Review: 2013 BMW F800GT appeared first on RideApart.

What’s New
It’s probably easier to list what isn’t new: the crank case.

The first new product of a $50 million investment in the brand by its Piaggio Group parent company, the California ditches much of what used to be Guzzi tradition. The new, larger motor is now rubber-mounted to reduce vibration. Since 1971, thanks to a man name Lino Tonti, Guzzis used their motors as stressed members in the frame.

While the direction and extent of its movement is controlled by special rods, this method of vibration reduction can be seen as a bit of a cost cutting. By losing the engine as a stressed member, the frame has to become heavier and stronger. A balance shaft could have killed vibration without adding much weight, but would have necessitated the added expense of new cases.

At 710lbs ready to ride and fully fueled, the California is no welterweight, but that does still come in at 100lbs less than the equivalent Harley, the Road King.

The California is also considerably more affordable than that model, starting at just $14,990 to the Hog’s $17,699.

And the Guzzi has one other thing that every other cruiser on the market doesn’t: the brain of SBK Championship winning Aprilia RSV4. That means this cruiser uses a ride-by-wire throttle with switchable riding modes and three-position traction control. It also has ABS as standard.

That new, 1,380cc motor is created by fitting larger pistons onto the block of Guzzi’s existing 1,151cc air/oil-cooled v-twin. Outright torque only grows modestly from 80 to 88lb/ft, but the overall engine character become much more relaxed and flexible as peak torque shifts from 6,400 all the way down to 2,750rpm. Power actually decreases from 110 to 95bhp, but again also shifts down the rev range from 7,500 to 6,500rpm. The result is a flexible, torque, easy-going motor that’s still capable of a serious turn of speed.

There’s two models of California: Custom and Touring. They’re the same bike, the Touring just adds a screen, running lights and hard bags for a questionable $3,000 premium.

LED running lights bring a literally dazzling modern touch to an otherwise timeless design.

The Ride
Departing Santa Monica in busy Friday afternoon traffic, we eventually headed up into Malibu’s famous canyon roads, even hitting the infamous “Snake.”

Splitting is often discouraged on launches due to liability concerns, but sitting in that traffic for nearly an hour, in 80-degree plus temps, proved a good test of the big Guzzi’s user friendliness. Where most air-cooled cruisers could edge towards overheating in these conditions, the California remained even tempered and easy to ride. Event crawling along, making a few inches progress between complete stops, its on-paper weight was offset by a low center of gravity and natural balance. Unlike most cruisers, the controls are easy to reach, relatively light and aren’t subject to binding or grabbing as things heat up.

Things became much more fun once we turned off the congested Pacific Coast Highway and onto Malibu Canyon Road. Its flowing corners are where the California is most at home, making easy use of its torque to maintain what’s actually a fairly impressive pace.

Like other Guzzis, the California excels in that ever-elusive “feel” stuff. Thank the longitudinal crank and quality suspension components for that. The result of the tires, suspension and brakes communicating what they’re doing in a completely uninterrupted fashion is immense confidence. Even with your feet forward and your hands high up and out in front of you.

The California’s floorboards are sheathed on the bottom with nylon sliders. Think Ducati Hypermotard 1100. They’ve got enough clearance that they won’t go down in sweepers, but on tight corners such as those found on The Snake, they definitely will. In fact, the bike is happy lifting its boards enough that the frame occasionally touches down. At least when you ride like a 32-year old speed freak more used to dragging knees than hard parts.

But, even with that frame dragging on the ground, the front end still delivers confidence and stability, never once feeling like it’s about to be lifted off the ground. With that confidence, I was able to tackle a road that’s challenging for most sportsbike riders with real aggression and at a pace that would have left most of those riders eating my dust.

Two annoying photoshoots that only resulted in virtually unusable photos (sorry for the press shots being used in their place) later and I informed the Guzzi guys that we’d be splitting on the way home. So it was back out on to the PCH and through traffic at what’d be my normal pace on any bike all the way back to Santa Monica.

What’s Good
The handling! Seriously, you won’t believe you’re riding a cruiser. While outright pace is going to be a bit lower than that of a sportsbike, feel is actually superior to many current Japanese performance bikes. The California has light, neutral steering that just rolls into corners, tracks a line with utter stability, then lets you rocket out on that fat torque curve.

Don’t worry about those fairly unimpressive numbers making the engine boring. Air-cooled twins are about making smooth, rapid progress, not turning every straight into a drag race. There’s more than enough torque here to maintain a very healthy pace through a twisty canyon road. And, if you really do want to drag race, it’ll spin the rear tire away from the lights with full throttle. If you have the traction control switched off…

Which brings us to the electronics. In a fit of national pride, “Pioggia, Turismo and Veloce” stand in for the ride-by-wire’s “Rain, Touring and Sport” modes. You’ll end up using Turismo most of the time as it delivers full power and smooth throttle response, but Veloce noticabley sharpens things up to the point of abruptness while Pioggia blunts both outright power and response for slippery conditions.

Traction control, again based on the smooth, indiscernible intervention of the RSV4, can by set to three levels of intervention or completely off. I spent most of the day in the lower level, which still allows some slip, without letting things get too sideways. Big bikes like these have a ton of momentum, so the little helping hand is much appreciated, allowing you to take serious liberties in complete safety.

The front end is all about safety too thanks to the standard ABS. No shudders or jutter here, it just brings you to a commanding halt. Brakes are front biased and use powerful radial calipers, unlike most other cruisers, meaning you can two-finger the right lever to trail them through corners. They really do deliver sportsbike-like levels of feel, control and power.

Comfort, too, is solid. I’ve never adapted to taking all the weight off my feet and legs and directing it through my spine, but only experience minor back discomfort on the tightly sprung, well-damped Guzzi. Anything else all shiny and v-twiny typically causes spasms in my lower back. It’s also far, far, far superior to the previous California; tall folks fit as well as short.

Miguel Galluzzi’s design is a masterpiece, appearing timeless where every other entry in the segment is either a shameless throwback or awkwardly futuristic. The Harley crowd is going to be able to relate just as well as the blind people who were once told the Diavel is a good looking bike and believed that.

>The California’s mechanical components reek of both quality and function.

What’s Bad
LED brake lights and turn signals on the rear pretty much disappear in direct sunlight.

You’ll be able to do way better in the aftermarket with a $3,000 budget than the Touring model nets you. The bags are extremely well integrated, but come one, that’s an entire Cleveland CycleWerks bike worth of premium.

The stock bars are going to require too much of a reach for shorter riders.

The Custom’s pillion accommodation is…not good.

What Others Say
“Putting this mighty cruiser through its paces is a pleasure. The new double-cradle, steel frame feels impressively solid as matched to a huge 46mm Sachs fork and twin rear shocks. Although a bit heavy at the bar for walking speeds, the Custom becomes light to steer and very predictable once you’re traveling over 10 mph, offering terrific feedback and stability around town, on the highway, and best of all, on the tangled backroads where big cruisers can often feel like a ton of work.” — Cycle World

“It’s a delight to ride, with a fabulous sound to support its laid back, muscular motor, it’s comfortable and it handles beautifully… a thoroughly seductive motorcycle.” — Kevin Ash

The Verdict
The California 1400 has all the looks, character and presence you could ever want from a cruiser, but rides like a real, 21st century motorcycle. Handling and brakes aren’t just safe, they’re genuinely good, even when compared to performance-oriented motorcycles, but that big v-twin’s rumble and quirkiness still conveys that primal motorcycle experience in an incredibly emotive way.

That’s a combination other segment busters like the Ducati Diavel lack, the California is just as good at being a throwback as it is a way forward.

RideApart Rating: 8/10

Gear
Helmet: Schuberth S2 ($700)
Suit: Aerostich Roadcrafter Tactical ($897 before custom work)
Boots: Dainese Café ($260)
Gloves: Racer Sicuro ($240)

The post RideApart Review: Moto Guzzi California 1400 appeared first on RideApart.

What’s New
The Star Bolt is a brand new motorcycle, with a release date set for the end of April. The engine is the same used in the V-Star 950 and 950 Tourer, but other than that most of Bolt is all-new and was designed to specifically fit the modernized-Sportster aesthetic the designers were going for.

The Bolt finds its home in the Star lineup between the 650cc V-Star ($6,990) and V-Star 950 ($8,590) and will retail for $7,990 for the standard version, $9 cheaper than Harley’s Sportster. In July we’ll see the release of the Bolt R-Spec, which adds a matte grey and army green paint scheme, black mirrors, some suede like material on the seat, and remote reservoir rear shocks with a $300 increase on the price tag to a whopping $8,290.

The engine is an air-cooled, 60-degree V-twin with a Mikuni injection system that uses 3D mapping and a closed loop design which means that the Bolt will monitor itself and be easy to start, regardless of temperature and elevation. Star didn’t have horsepower figures yet, but claim the 942cc engine makes 58.2 ft./lb. of torque at 3,500rpm. The butt dyno put the engine on par with a stock Sportster and slightly better than Honda’s 750cc Shadow.

The similarities with the Harley stopped with power, with the Bolt feeling more polished in every other aspect. The 5-gear transmission, with its straight cut gear dogs, was very light and smooth. The 61.8-inch wheelbase and 27.2-inch seat height made the Bolt both easy to swing a leg over and easy to turn, especially when compared to its competition. I found the riding position very natural, as did other journalists both a few inches shorter and a few inches taller who were riding the Bolt with us that day.

The KYB 41mm front forks provide 4.7 inches of travel and, while not impressive when compared to more performance-oriented motorcycles, they managed to keep my heart rate at normal levels when I decided to ride roads that didn’t just travel in a straight line. The rear KYB shocks only allowed 2.8 inches of travel, but do feature preload adjustment. I would have liked a little more cushion on the back and, while the R-Spec anodized remote reservoir shocks look nice, neither the standard nor R-Spec models really provided much comfort over dips and potholes. Keeping the Sportster in mind, I was able to temper my expectations and realize this is something you just kind of have to accept with this style of motorcycle.

The 12-spoke wheels looked very nice in person and the 19-inch front and 16-inch rear tire were adequate for both around town and short freeway stints. The 298mm wave-type brake rotors (two piston in the front and single in the rear) worked better than expected and gave me far more confidence to enjoy the torque of the engine, knowing I could stop should the need arise.

The Good
The Star Bolt is a road-ready, fully capable, safe motorcycle. That statement right there sets it apart from its biggest competitor. All the fancy stuff in the engine ensures the Bolt will start and run well in any conditions, and that the engine will be durable and last for a bunch of miles. What more could you ask for?

The most impressive part of the presentation they gave about the bike was in their inspiration for building it. They really seemed to understand a lot of what made our generation tick and what drew us to certain bikes and they built their goals accordingly. The Star Bolt was an attempt to simplify, to get back to basics, to understand that less can be more (compared to “the more chrome and crap, the better”), to be easy to buy/easy to ride, and that performance and quality and the ability to make things your own matter. They wanted it to give you confidence the day you sat on it in a showroom and every day you got on it to ride. They built inspiration boards that look shockingly similar to my pinterest wall and then threw all of those goals and aesthetic guides into a blender a made a really nice basic platform.

At $7,990, it’s hard to ask for more than decent stock power, solid brakes, capable suspension, and classic looks. At 540 pounds full of fuel, the bike feels lighter than it is and is easy to maneuver, both when being walked into a parking spot or ridden down the road. The Bolt feels nimble and does at good job at filling the “urban performance bobber” role Star motorcycles was trying to meet.

With the release of the Bolt, Star is also releasing 50 or so different parts that can be used to customized the bike. I was expecting ugly chrome pieces to ruin the bike’s aesthetic, but I was able to pick out a lot of things I would absolutely add if building a Bolt for myself. Some of the things like the leather saddle bags look a little cheesy, but the brass accents are some of the coolest things I’ve seen available for any motorcycle. They had some of the parts on one or two of the bikes when we first arrived and they beautiful in person. Many companies have tried to do this in the past but none have succeeded like Star has here.

The Bad
Other than the Star Bolt being a fairly basic motorcycle and being a cruiser (both were intentional and therefore can’t be held against it), I couldn’t find much fault with the bike. The rear suspension could be more comfortable and the smoked glass over the digital speedometer was too dark for the gloomy day we had, but my only problem other than that was that the fonts used for the “Bolt” and “Star” logo are terrible. The Star one isn’t really their fault as it’s the brand logo instead of the model, but even Harley uses different fonts to fit different bikes. There’s just no excuse for putting that much thought into a bike and then plastering the name in a terrible font on the side of the tank. One guy said it was under the clearcoat and another said it was just a sticker, either way both logos are fixable with minor effort.

Any further fault I find with the bike has to do with it not being as light as a WR250R, not having the brakes of an R6, or the suspension of a Super Tenere.

I did turn into a bit of a wind sail on the freeway above 70mph or so, but I can’t really hold that against a bike that they claim is good for urban riding. It’ll do freeway speeds just fine, it just wasn’t the intended purpose. The motorcycle left me utterly unimpressed upon first riding it until I remembered that it was designed to be better than a Sportster and to be really affordable. Check and check.

The Price
As mentioned above, the standard Bolt (available later this month) will have an MSRP of $7,990. The Bolt R-Spec will be released sometime in July at an MSRP of $8,290. The Bolt’s man competitor, the Harley-Davidson Sportster Iron 883, has a MSRP of $7,999. Some other possible bikes in this field could be the 750cc Honda Shadow RS at $8,240 and the 865cc Triumph Bonneville at $7,699.

What Other’s Say
“For classic cruiser fans looking for a Harley-Davidson Sportster alternative with almost as much cool and considerably more useability” – The Basem

“…the Iron 883 is so punishing it should come with a bar-and-shield branded kidney belt, standard. Star addresses the issue with twin KYB shocks under the seat that offer 2.8” of travel. Granted, that’s not a lot of room to bounce, but the shocks are pre-load adjustable and besides, the stubbed springs are necessary to maintain the bike’s low seat height and center of gravity. And they work just fine..” — Motorcycle.com

The Verdict
Star set out to make a Sportster that turned and stopped and was fun and safe to ride at proper speeds and I think they more than met their goal. The real test will be if people in this market think the upgraded performance is worth having the words “Star Bolt” on the side instead of “Harley-Davidson.” Buying a motorcycle isn’t always a purely rational decision, but I think the Bolt hits on enough areas that buyers will have to pause and give it a lot of thought. It should be a nice competitor and will hopefully continue to drive development in this class of motorcycle, something that is good for all of us as consumers. I’m curious to see what adding exhaust and tinkering with the air box and fueling would do, if the results were anything like I got on my Bonneville this thing is going to be amazing.

RideApart Rating: 7/10

Gear
Helmet: Bell RS-1
Jacket: Dainese R-Twin
Gloves: AlpineStars Apex Drystar Gloves

The post RideApart Review: Star Bolt appeared first on RideApart.

Photos: Kevin Wing

What’s New:
Not a whole hell of a lot. Check out our street review of the CBR first.

To recap: new, simpler bodywork surrounds a lightly tweaked engine that aims to give a bit more midrange shove with a smoother throttle response. The chassis gets a bit more attention, with new 12-spoke wheels and Showa’s BPF fork. The optional ABS system also gets revised tuning to offer improved performance under aggressive riding… like on the track, for instance.

The modest list of changes is the new name of the game for OEMs. Gone are the days when an all-new sportbike would appear every other year. In today’s economy, the engineers have to make the most of the available platform, so that means smart refinements that can extend the life of a model.

The Ride
Chuckwalla Valley Raceway is a relatively new addition to the list of racetracks in Southern California. Unfortunately, it’s way the hell out east, in the middle of the desert. But it’s also a nearly perfect track for a middleweight sportsbike, so it was definitely worth the trip to launch Honda’s new CBR600RR.

CVR is 2.68 miles of multiple-radius corners connecting a pair of short straights. Because the longest straight is only 1,300 feet long, the track rewards corner speed and smart positioning through the various double-apex turns. Elevation changes are minimal, with the exception of turn 9, which is blind as you come over the small ridge. Again, it’s a perfect playground for a 600.

Honda also changed things up quite a bit in how the day was run, all for the better. Instead of the usual massive fleet of new bikes, Honda only brought out a half a dozen machines. This allowed each rider plenty of time with Honda’s techs, including the full tire-warmer-and-clipboard factory team experience. Having only 6 bikes out at a time also meant we had plenty of room to play. Dunlop’s sticky D211 GP-A tires were mounted front and rear, guaranteeing that we had plenty of grip.

Unfortunately this was our first outing to CVR, so the first session or so was purely a matter of figuring out which way the track went. Once we got our bearings, we were able to start actually riding the bike enough to see how the updates played out.

The tweaked engine is extremely smooth and offers a great spread of power. There’s enough overrev to make it worth holding on to a gear, but the star of show is how broad the power curve is, giving good thrust even if you want to run a gear high. The fuel injection and transmission both worked with watchmaker precision.

Once we got comfortable, we began to use some of the updated chassis. The new big piston fork is stellar and was perfect all day long. The rear suspension needed most of its available preload wound up, but then promptly got on with the business of going faster. (Cheers to Honda for keeping the easy-to-use ramped preload adjuster.) Thanks to the tire warmers, we never hit the track on cold rubber so there was never a chance to see how the bike might wiggle around on cold tires.

On the base bike, the brakes were fantastic. Plenty of power with good feel, zero slop and not too much initial bite. On the ABS version, things could get a bit looser. The power is still fine, but heavy braking over bumps can get the computer to intercede rather quickly. This strangled brake feel and plateaued your deceleration until the computer decided it was happy again. On the back stretch heading to turn 8 there are a bunch of heaves in the asphalt thanks to the ground-pounding car guys. Run up into those bumps on the brakes and you’ll have a brief moment where you’re not sure if the bike will be ready to turn-in on time. To the CBR’s credit, you still make the turn every time with little drama. With more practice on the ABS bike, I doubt it would slow down your laps until you started to get close to race pace. (At least you get a choice. In certain Euro markets, the C-ABS model is the only CBR available from 2013.)

The ergonomics manage to be extremely compact without being cramped, which is a great trick if you can manage it. Adjustable footpegs would be a nice addition when you head back to the street, though. The tank is very narrow and the seat slippery, so it’s difficult to hold on to the machine with your lower body. And even though my 6’1” frame was able to move around the bike easily, there was no way to fit behind that tiny fairing.

Overall, the CBR is like many Hondas in the clichéd Goldilocks sense: it perfectly suits every need, to the point where it doesn’t stand out in any one area. It may not be as alluring as a Triumph Daytona R or as sexy as the new MV triple, but it combines Honda reliability with the ability to let the rider get on with the job at hand. We honestly took more notes about the Chuckwalla track than we did about the CBR itself. Which makes it perfect.

What’s Good
Oh lordy that fork is awesome. Showa’s big piston design is always a standout feature of any bike that features it and on the tiny CBR it is a revelation. The front end is flawless. Full stop. You never have to worry about the front tire doing anything unexpected. If you do manage to do something stupid, like cook a corner and need to get on the brakes mid-turn, the feedback is so clear that you can feel the tire deflecting on the nanoscopic scale. The rear end isn’t as magical, but it’s still plenty communicative, even during a late-day slide under power coming out of turn 16.

The rest of the bike does what Hondas are (in)famous for: it sort of disappears from your mind. The engine, chassis, the ergos, both versions’ brake systems, the whole package, it just allows the rider to push harder and harder.

Honda’s CBR600RR is the proof that middleweights these days are so good that the major limiting factor is you. It does make you wonder exactly how good those CBR-based Moto2 bikes really have to be to eclipse the showroom version…

What’s Bad
Where’s the slipper clutch, Honda? If you get off one of the competitors’ 600s then try to go fast on the CBR, you may quickly learn that your downshifting skills have gotten rusty. The lack of an idiot-proof slipper clutch makes corner set-up a major drag on your laptimes until you reboot your brain.

Other than that, there’s not too much to complain about. The seat needs a new, grippier cover. And using ABS on the track is weird until you get used to it. And some people don’t like the new headlights. That’s really it.

What Other’s Say
“If you haven’t ridden a bike with [Big Piston Forks], you should. They’re handling in High Definition.” – Visordown

“…the new CBR600R is an improved machine. Not drastically, but noticeably.” – Cyclenews

The Verdict
The sportbike for someone who doesn’t have anything to prove. Honda’s 2013 CBR600RR continues a long tradition: easy to ride fast on street or track, flattering the rider at any speed, while still being a dependable street mount that will easily serve during the ride to work. If you don’t mind that it is the “safe” or “obvious” choice, the CBR600RR will never fail to keep you entertained. Of course you’ll see plenty of other bikes on the road just like yours, but who cares?

And if you aren’t shopping for the ultimate race-ready weapon, the C-ABS is a fantastic upgrade, worth every penny. Even if you do head to the track occasionally, the ABS won’t disappoint, making it an easy recommendation for the vast majority of potential CBR buyers.

Ride Apart Rating: 9/10

Gear
Helmet: Shoei GT-Air (Journey TC-2 graphic) ($600)
Leathers: Alpinestars Orbiter 1 Piece ($899.95)
Gloves: Alpinestars GP Plus ($189.95)
Boots: Alpinestars Supertech R ($449.95)

The post RideApart Review: 2013 Honda CBR600RR appeared first on RideApart.

Photos: Scott G Toepfer

What’s New:
There’s a couple things going on here, so let’s start at the beginning.

First, Guzzi’s V7 range has been comprehensively refreshed for 2013. The engine is 70 percent new and equipped with a distinctive, single, central throttle body. While a power increase from 48 to 50bhp may not sound like much, but it makes that peak power at 6,200rpm, 500rpm lower in the rev range and as much power as the previous model’s peak 1,000rpm lower. That’s a notably more full mid-range. Fuel economy also benefits, now 55mpg the V7’s 5.8 gallon tank delivers an incredibly useful 310-mile range.

Torque increases only a single pound-foot to 44, but arrives at the same, ultra-low 2,800rpm.

Much of that is down to a new ECU, new dual O2 sensors and a new head shape that raises compression from 9.2 to 10.2:1. Pistons are also redesigned to be stronger, without adding any weight.

The base V7 Stone. A fair bit different from the bike you see here, huh?

The look of that engine has also been cleaned up, especially around the valve covers. Broader fins also equal better cooling.

There’s other minor, but still meaningful changes elsewhere too. An aluminum tank replaces the old plastic item, while adding capacity. Wheels, across the range, lose weight, including the spoked items seen on the Racer. Forks remain unadjustable, RWU, 40mm items, but are now equipped with improved damping.

With that Aluminum tank, Guzzi is also importing the chrome V7 Racer to the States for the first time. At $9,990, that model brings a $1,600 premium over the base V7 Stone, but also adds seriously nice rearsets, clip-ons and spoked wheels, as well as stand out design features like the red frame, leather tank strap, numbered badge on the top yoke, billet aluminum throttle body guards and single seat fairing. More substantially, there’s also new, remote-reservoir Bitubo shocks.

So far so good? The Record is an add-on kit for that Racer. Retailing for an additional $1,990, it brings the fairing, screen, an all-new single-seat design with a kicked-up tail, plus all mounting brackets to seamlessly integrate the above.

The bike you see here is also fitted with the $1,190 Arrow slip-on exhaust system, which sheds weight and adds power in both the top-end and mid-range, but requires no ECU re-programming. It’s not road legal, but isn’t annoyingly loud.

The Ride:
I’ve been riding the Record around Los Angeles for a couple weeks now. Through heavy traffic, it’s a revelation thanks to the newfound slimness brought by the clip-ons. Power is easy and the performance confidence-inspring, if not hugely fast.

One of the best things about the V7 range is their low weight. At just 394lbs (wet), they’re a full 100lbs lighter than the Triumph Bonneville. While that bike remains a touch faster thanks to its 67bhp, the V7s are lighter on their feet and noticeably easier to push around. That pays dividends for novice and experienced riders alike, there’s simply not a bike out there that feels more natural from the get-go than a V7.

Highway miles brought to light one unexpected advantage of the Record — long range comfort. Sure, the fairing does an admirable job of reducing some wind blast, but it’s really the riding position and seat that make it feel much more modern and comfortable than other models in the V7 range. That seat is hard as a board and narrow, but supports your sit bones in exactly the right position, leading to zero posterior discomfort on long rides. And believe me, I’m sensitive to posterior discomfort right now.

The rear-sets also increase the leverage your legs are able to apply, without cramping them. Ground clearance is also boosted. In fact, I touched nothing down during my time with the bike, something I can’t say about virtually anything else that doesn’t come with at least three Rs in its name.

Clip-ons, too, do a great job of shifting just enough weight forward to aid control, while actually managing to move the ergonomics in a more modern direction, which increases comfort.

And those new ergonomics are what led to the biggest surprise with the Record. Sure, the stock V7 is a fun, broadly-capable little bike that’s more than able to get a little sporty, but headed up Piuma from Malibu Canyon, I found something else entirely. That weight over the front, the new motor, the Racer’s improved suspension and your feet up a little bit turn the Record into a little canyon carver. It’s no 600, but in its own torque, quirky, characterful way, it’s solid fun to ride fast.

I was riding in jeans in these photos, so kept things dialed back, but had I worn some leathers, knee down for these photos would have been no problem. The ergonomics make body position easy and you can get plenty of lean out of the stock tires.

What’s Good:
Pulling up at a stoplight next to a guy in race leathers on a GSX-R1000, the bike got an appreciative nod. Doubly so at the next light, after I’d beaten him there through traffic.

The V7’s air-cooled 744cc motor has always been about character, gently plinking as you walk away, but now it’s about smooth performance too. The power band is broad and linear, making progress easy, if not lightning fast.

The Arrow exhausts strike the right balance between engine note and noise levels. You’re not going to set off any car alarms or tell the cops you’re coming, but you are going to feel like you’re riding an honest-to-god motorcycle.

The rear shocks works very well, with tangibly decent damping and the correct spring weight for sporty riding with my 168lbs frame aboard.

Feel through every component is superb, even if capability is somewhat limited compared to a modern race replica. That equals plenty of confidence whether you’re in town, on the highway, or in a canyon.

Every. Single. Time. You climb onboard you will feel like you’re embarking on a memorable adventure. Isn’t that what riding bikes is all about?

What’s Bad:
The 320mm single front disc/four-piston Brembo/braided steel line front brake sounds decent, but lacks outright stopping power. An upgrade to the pads and maybe even master cylinder is needed if you really plan to ride it fast.

The non-adjustable forks remain overly soft and under damped. Ride quality is excellent, but the bike wants to move around a little too much once you start dialing in Gs.

It’s disappointing that, for $1,190, the Arrow cans aren’t road legal. It’s not as if they’re loud, you get the feeling the budget just wasn’t there to homologate them.

The detailing is a little over the top, making the bike feel a little too self-conscious. A nice brushed finish to the aluminum tank would be less flashy than chrome and the number plates are just over kill.

The clutch is going to be a little on the heavy side for the small-framed women and novices that will otherwise find the V7 absolutely perfect.

Despite the fuel-injection, the first few minutes after cold starts can leave the bike a little reluctant to pull away from a dead stop without big throttle and much clutch slip.

You can’t carry a passenger on what’s surely one of the most provocative-looking bikes out there. Girls will ask for rides. You will have to tell them no.

The Price:
$9,990 + $1,990 for the Record kit + $1,190 for the Arrow exhausts = $13,080. That’s a lot of money for a bike with 50bhp and fairly basic components. That’s just a couple hundred dollars less than the Ohlins-equipped Triumph Daytona 675R.

A stunning bike to look at, strong character and modern reliability make the Record absolutely unique though. These are going to be a rare sight and their owners will be happier for it.

What Others Say:
“The 2013 Moto Guzzi V7 Racer is much more than a transportation appliance; it’s a fun bike that backs up its solid hardware with a healthy dose of race-inspired Italian style. It’s polished, capable and fun. And perhaps most poignantly, it made me feel like a 17-year-old high school kid again, going off on another memorable motorcycle adventure.” — Cycle World

“My general feeling for the Guzzi is that it has a relevant place: providing the rider with a stylish, classic, and fun riding experience. It has the best tank paint job of all time (chrome), the power is sufficient, it will accelerate fast enough, it’s not a track bike but it will hold its own comparatively. It’s the kind of bike that more people should ride and enjoy.” — Thor Drake

The Verdict:
The guys from Guzzi just emailed and told me I have to bring the Record back tomorrow. I’ve got a few, much faster bikes in the garage to replace it, but I’m genuinely gutted to return the V7. It’s memorable in a way most modern bikes just aren’t any more, at least outside those rare, crazy 10/10ths moments.

More fun, more capable and better looking than anything else in the V7 range, the Record is possibly the best looking bike on sale right now complete with finance payments and a warranty and no oil leaks. If you’re looking to recapture a vintage riding experience without the hassle, you can’t do any better than this.

RideApart Rating: 8/10

Gear:
Helmet: Schuberth S2 ($700)
Jacket: Vanson AR2 ($500)
Gloves: Racer Sicuro ($240)
Armor: Alpinestars BioArmor ($40)
Back Protector: Alpinestars Bionic Air ($140)
Jeans: Levi’s 511 ($40)
Boots: Corcoran Jump Boot ($120)

The post RideApart Review: Moto Guzzi V7 Racer Record appeared first on RideApart.