by Kris Holt from https://www.engadget.com The Multistrada V4 has several rider assistance features. Ducati has started production on what it claims is the “world’s first motorcycle equipped with front and rear radar technology.” The company worked with Bosch on the radar system, which allows the Multistrada V4 to offer some rider support features. Each radar weighs 190 grams and is about the size of an action camera, so the system won’t add too much weight or bulk to the motorcycle. The front radar enables adaptive cruise control, which helps the Multistrada V4 automatically adjust its distance from other vehicles while riding at between 30 and 160 km/h. The rear radar can detect vehicles that are in the rider’s blind spot. The system can tell you when vehicles are approaching at high speed. Ducatti hasn’t revealed much more about the Multistrada V4, save for the fact it has a “new, light and compact V4 engine.” The company has yet to reveal what the motorcycle even looks like. It’ll show off the Multistrada V4 for the first time on November 4th. 2021 Ducati Multistrada V4 Production Starts – 1st Motorcycle With Radar Tech by Nithyanandh Karuppaswamy from https://www.rushlane.com The 2021 Ducati Multistrada V4 is the first production motorcycle to be equipped with front and rear radars for rider assistance systems The 2021 Ducati Multistrada V4 has entered production at the Audi-owned sportsbike marque’s Borgo Panigale facility near Bologna, Italy. In its fourth generation, the popular adventure tourer ditches the L-Twin motor in favor of Ducati’s new V4 unit. The all-new adventure tourer will make its world premiere on November 4. The fourth-gen Multistrada V4 is claimed to be the first production-spec motorcycle to be equipped with front and rear radar technology. In 2016, Ducati worked in collaboration with the department of electronics, information and bio-engineering at Politecnico di Milano, Italy’s leading technical university, on rider aid systems. Four years down the line, Ducati has brought a comprehensive radar-based rider assistance systems to the market in association with Bosch. Ducati radar technology The radar system on board the 2021 Ducati Multistrada V4 involves two compact radar units 70 x 60 x 28 mm, roughly the size of a modern action camera. Each unit weights around 190 grams and integrates neatly into the motorcycle’s bodywork. The front radar unit is responsible for Adaptive Cruise Control (ACC) just like in the cars. This system modulates the motorcycle’s braking and acceleration to automatically regulate the distance from the vehicle ahead. Designed to function in 4 configurable stages between speeds of 30 to 160 kmph, the radar-based ACC has been tuned to suit the dynamics and ergonomics of a motorcycle. Of course, the rider will be able to maintain constant control of the vehicle in any scenario even when the ACC is operational. The rear radar unit functions as a blind-spot monitor to warn the rider of vehicles that are not visible on the rear-view mirrors. The rear unit also warns the rider of a fast approaching vehicle from behind. The control algorithms related to Ducati Radar Technology have been the subject of a patent which was filed in 2017. 2021 Ducati Multistrada Design Along with the production announcement, Ducati has also teased the motorcycle through a set of images. While the entire motorcycle is not visible, we can observe that the 2021 Ducati Multistrada retains its instantly recognizable styling but sports sharper elements. The front radar module is located between the twin LED headlamps while the rear unit is nestled below the taillight. The exact specifications of the new lightweight V4 engine on board the Multistrada still remain under the wraps. So far, the V4 unit is available in two displacement configurations on board the Panigale and Streetfighter models. The new flagship adventure tourer will be launched in India sometime next year. Expect the prices to start well above INR 20 lakh (Ex-showroom).

by Daniel Patrascu from https://www.autoevolution.com

Few motorcycle builders out there have enough products in their portfolio as to feel comfortable to reference older builds as soon as new ones pop up. Thunderbike is one of them, with the Germans having released into the wild over the past 25 years literally hundreds of custom bikes, all of them based on or heavily related to Harley-Davidson two-wheelers.

Back in 2019, Thunderbike built a special machine for Harley’s Battle of the Kings competition. It was called Roar, and came as a heavily modified FXDR sporting tons of custom parts, a Stage 3 tuning kit to increase the Screamin’ Eagle engine’s displacement to 117ci and give it more power, and a devilish, dragster-like appearance enhanced by the orange-black-silver paint scheme used on it.

Thunderbike’s most recent project is dubbed Ice-Cool Brother. Not exactly a cool name for a Harley custom bike, but it does send across the message Thunderbike wants sent: this could be the brother of the Roar, and because its painted grey-green, it’s Ice-Cool.

Childish reasoning, we know, but the machine itself is far from that. Commissioned by one of the garage’s customers, it comes with a lower stance owed to fork modifications, breathes easier thanks to a new air filter kit, and packs a bigger punch thanks to the fitting of a Stage II torque kit.

Thanks to the changes made, Thunderbike says there’s a 5 percent increase in torque right from the start, and at 4,500 rpm it even squeezes 14 percent more than before.

You can find the entire list of modifications made to the bike at this link. What you’ll not find is the final build price for the Ice-Cool Brother, but after some digging (Thunderbike lists most of the parts used in the project) we came up with around 5,000 euros ($5,800), not including, of course, the bike itself and the labor.

INDIAN MOTORCYCLE RACING WINS FOURTH CONSECUTIVE MANUFACTURER’S CHAMPIONSHIP WITH WRECKING CREW SWEEP AT ATLANTA SHORT TRACK I

Wrecking Crew Rider Jared Mees Narrows the Season Standings with Back-to-Back Wins

ATLANTA (October 6, 2020) – Indian Motorcycle Racing, presented by Progressive Motorcycle Insurance, and its championship-winning FTR750 clinched its fourth consecutive Manufacturer’s Championship. Fittingly, Indian Motorcycle secured the championship with a Wrecking Crew podium sweep at Atlanta Short Track I.

Wrecking Crew Rider Jared Mees narrowed the season standings with back-to-back wins at the Atlanta doubleheader. Joining Mees on the Atlanta Short Track I podium was reigning AFT Grand National Champion and Wrecking Crew Rider Briar Bauman and Wrecking Crew Rider Bronson Bauman. The bar-to-bar battle between Briar and Mees saw Mees take a final pass on the final lap through turn four to cross the finish line just .308 seconds before Briar. Bronson completed the Wrecking Crew sweep as he earned his first podium of the 2020 season by charging his way from the middle of the pack and making several passes in the final laps of the Main.

“It’s been incredible to see our team compete at a consistent level and again bring home the Manufacturer’s Championship for the fourth straight year,” said Gary Gray, Vice President – Racing, Technology and Service for Indian Motorcycle. “With four races remaining, we’re excited to see who can walk away with the No. 1 plate. Briar’s been hot and Mees hates to lose, so we should be in a dramatic and entertaining finish to the season.”

Atlanta Short Track II continued the dramatic, bar-to-bar racing from the night before, as Indian Motorcycle Privateer Brandon Price held Mees off as long as he could, coming up just short as Mees made his pass with only a few laps remaining. Price’s second-place finished earned him his first podium of the season, while Briar rounded out the all-FTR750 podium with a third-place finish.

With 244 points, Mees is firmly in second and now just 12 points back from Briar, who has 256 points on the year. With a pair of fourth-place finishes in Atlanta, Indian Motorcycle Privateer Sammy Halbert remains in third with 193 points, while Bronson Bauman and Price are fourth and fifth with 153 and 148 points, respectively.

The 2020 American Flat Track season will continue on October 9-10 at The Dirt Track at Charlotte Motor Speedway for the Progressive Charlotte Half-Mile I & II. For more information on Indian Motorcycle Racing, visit IndianMotorcycle.com and follow along on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.

by Daniel Patrascu from https://www.autoevolution.com

There’s no actual statistic on how many garages attached to homes are in the States. A report called American Housing Survey claimed that in 2015 about 63 percent of all occupied housing units have a garage or carport, so that would mean a lot. And in a great deal of such garages, magic of one type or another happens.

Of particular interest for us is the magic that has to do with motorized vehicles, no matter the number of wheels, wings, or whatever. The magic that ends up in things like this here Harley-Davidson Mantis being created.

The bike is about three years old, and if it hadn’t been for Harley-Davidson’s The No Show online event, we probably wouldn’t have found out about it. The Youtube series took place earlier this year and brought to light the creations of 60 builders from 10 countries, works that would otherwise have not been shown anywhere this troubled year.

The Mantis is one of them. It is the creation of a Nevada man by the name Josh Sheehan. It was literally built, like many other great American things, in a garage (he likes to call that a shop). It started life as a 1968 Shovelhead and, as the first bike of the builder, it managed to push him at the forefront of the custom motorcycle circuit.

Sheehan doesn’t give too many details on the changes made to the bike (watch the video below for more), but the visual upgrades that make the Mantis stand out are more than obvious. From the light orange on the tank and rear fender, to the wheels (21-inch front and 18-inch rear) and the hand-engraved rocker boxes and cam cover, the entire build is a testimony to how good-old fashioned imagination, a correct set of tools, and an unassuming garage can make the magic happen.

 

by Melissa Klein from https://nypost.com

The city may have been on lockdown, but motorcycle thefts revved up in New York City.

The number of motorcycles and mopeds stolen this year hit 1,348 through Sept. 20, up from 916 in the same period in 2019, according to statistics from the NYPD.

The 47% surge is part of an overall increase in vehicle thefts in 2020. A total of 6,107 cars, motorcycles and mopeds were swiped citywide through Sept. 20, up a stunning 63% from the same period last year, NYPD data shows.

The NYPD has blamed the increase on the state’s bail reform laws which prohibit pretrial detention for many alleged crimes.

The East New York and Cypress Hills neighborhoods in Brooklyn are the city’s grand theft auto hot spots followed by Queens Village, Cambria Heights, Laurelton, Rosedale and Springfield Gardens.

Motorcycle thefts had previously been on the decline in the Big Apple, dropping 9% from 2018 to 2019, according to the National Insurance Crime Bureau.

Gavriel Cohen, 27, a bartender who started an Instagram page to help motorcycle owners track down their stolen rides after his own bike was taken in 2018, called the thefts “rampant.”

“It’s all bundled up with the lack of law and order going on in the city right now,” Cohen said.

So far, the Instagram page led to one motorcycle being reunited with its owner.

In June, cops nabbed an ex-con for allegedly taking a stolen Suzuki motorcycle on a 1 train on the Upper West Side. When he was caught on June 16, it was the sixth arrest for Frank Pagan that month alone.

Ramiro Vigil, 34, a biomedical engineer from Park Slope, said thieves swiped his 2019 BMW bike in early August near his home. He said video footage showed three or four men lifting it into a van and taking off. Two friends also had their rides taken around the same time.

Vigil, a native of Mexico who has lived in China, Brazil and Europe, said he did not experience this type of crime in other countries.

“I think it could be related to the COVID and people probably looking for easy money,” he said. “But it’s really sad.”

Jessica Brown, 38, who purchased her $6,000 customized Honda bike just three months ago, had it disappear on Sept. 18 while parked in front of her Richmond Hill home.

Security footage showed two men walking the bike off the street at 1 a.m., Brown said.

Brown immediately put the word out in the motorcycle community, where she is known as Jes Blaze.

“You can’t depend on the cops, unfortunately. They take a report and then they go on with their merry way,” she said. “I’m basically relying on the streets right now.”

Brown said the distinctive bike, which is covered in a red camouflage pattern, has been seen on Long Island, in Ridgewood and on the Bruckner Expressway. But she doesn’t have high hopes of getting it back.

“The chances of a motorcycle being found or returned is literally like finding a needle in the haystack,” she said.

The National Insurance Crime Bureau said its statistics showed that just 255 motorcycles, mopeds, scooters or motorbikes have been recovered in New York City this year out of 1,389 it has recorded stolen.

from https://www.expressandstar.com

New adventure motorcycle has been launched to coincide with the 40th anniversary of BMW GS models.

BMW has released an updated R1250 GS to coincide with the 40th anniversary of the iconic adventure model range.

As well as a striking new anniversary paint scheme, the updates bring several new additions to the firm’s series of go-anywhere motorcycles.

A range of rider modes are available on the bike

Innovative new adaptive cornering lights are a key new addition, which help to light up the road when going through bends. The headlight reflector is able to swivel by 35 degrees, in fact. The feature sits alongside ‘follow me home’ lighting, which keeps the headlights on for a few minutes after turning the bike off so the rider can see where to go when it’s dark. New multifunction rear indicator lamps have been added too.

Dynamic traction control is fitted as standard too, as well as hill start control and full anti-lock brakes. Comfort levels have been increased as well through the fitment of heated rider and passenger seats, as well as heated grips that offer five different levels of heat adjustment. USB charging sockets have been added for charging devices, while a new 6.5-inch colour TFT display gives access to all of the major settings and readouts.

A striking new ‘40 years of GS’ paintjob is also available, mimicking the paint scheme applied to the classic R100GS. Classic grey and black shades can be specified instead, however.

Like other GS models in the past, the R1250 uses a two-cylinder boxer engine with 134bhp and though BMW has yet to state official figures, it says that it delivers ‘outstanding consumption and emissions values’. Pricing is likely to be announced shortly, too.

by Daniel Patrascu from https://www.autoevolution.com

There are a great number of custom bikes being made just for show. They look stunning, feel great, but they are not really meant to be ridden, just admired. That’s not the case with the one here.

Back in the months when the health crisis was not all that bad, yet we all were hunkered down as if there was no worse tomorrow, all major motorcycle shows were canceled – as was pretty much everything else, for that matter. To fill the void, Harley-Davidson set up The No Show, an online event dedicated to the custom builders who all of a sudden had no place to show their masterpieces. 60 builders from 10 countries were featured in the series, and the Model J in the gallery above is one of them.

As one of the earliest motorcycles in the bike maker’s portfolio, the Model J still captures the imagination of custom builders. Introduced in 1915 as mostly a military motorcycle, it quickly rose to top of the range status, and was seen on the battlefields, on the streets, and on the tracks. Sadly, there are not that many of them left today, that’s why we’re more than glad to talk about one once we get wind of it.

The Model J we have here comes from 1927, and was remade back in 2016 by a shop called Built The Traditional Way from Grove City, Ohio. The man behind it showed it first during that year’s Born Free motorcycle show, from where he returned, obviously, with an award, and decided to show it once again in Harley’s The No Show.

Made on a custom worked frame and boasting a new tank and lowered seat height, the bike is powered by a rugged and race-proven 93ci engine (1.5-liter) that came to be after modifications were made to a 61ci unit (1.0-liter).

We are not given any info on the performance numbers for the bike, but we reckon they are more than enough for the races this two-wheeler takes part in. Because yes, its builder, Justin Walls, does not use it as a museum piece, but as a full time racer any time he gets – and that is clearly visible on every part of the bike.

 

Peel Ferry Route

Route Distance: 113 miles with 378 curves.

Gasoline Locations: Harrison, Bergman, Forsyth, MO and Branson, MO

Time Frame: 2 hours, 58 minutes

If you haven’t experienced the Peel Ferry Route, you haven’t experienced the most unique route in the Ozarks. The Peel Ferry was developed when the White River was dammed to make Bull Shoals Lake. The lake now covers AR Highway 125 leading into Missouri. To compensate for the road loss, the Arkansas Highway and Transportation Department created the ferry to transport vehicles across the lake into Missouri. There is no charge for the ferry ride. Just pull up to the landing, wait for the ferry to arrive (about every 20 minutes) and enjoy a ride across the lake. The route takes you on a wonderful ride through the Missouri countryside before arriving in Forsyth, MO and Branson, MO. Enjoy the great shopping, dining, and shows in Branson.

Directions: The route will start by departing Harrison on Scenic Highway 7 North. Follow Highway 7 to Highway 14 East. Follow Highway 14 for a very short distance to AR Highway 268 North. Highway 268 North will intersect with AR Highway 125 where it will pass the Corps of Engineers Park on the right side. Highway 125 dead-ends at the Peel Ferry Crossing. Once you are on the Missouri side of the lake, continue traveling on Missouri Highway 125 to Highway 160 West. Highway 160 will intersect Highway 76 West just east of Forsyth, Missouri. Take Highway 76 West through Branson until it intersects with Highway 65 South. Be sure to enjoy Branson before heading south on U.S. Highway 65 to Harrison.

BUILD TRAIN RACE WOMEN TO RACE AT ATLANTA FLAT TRACK

Participants will race during exhibition

Milwaukee, Wis October 2, 2020: Royal Enfield’s BUILD TRAIN RACE program participants will race for the first time at Atlanta Short Track at Dixie Speedway during the Progressive American Flat Track races this weekend. Road racer Melissa Paris, amateur flat tracker Jillian Deschenes, photographer Lana MacNaughton and New York motorcycle repair shop owner Kerry Sano will compete against one another in an eight lap Main.

BUILD TRAIN RACE was launched in late 2019 with the goal of involving women in a competitive flat track program. The program tasked four women with building four custom INT 650 motorcycles for flat track competition, then training with Moto Anatomy x Royal Enfield AFT racer Johnny Lewis in the lead up to competition. Originally, the women were set to race in several events this year, but due to COVID-19 the events were either rescheduled or canceled.

“It has been a long wait for these ladies to get on track,” said Breeann Poland, Marketing Lead for Royal Enfield Americas. “They’re ready to put their INT 650s and themselves to the test this weekend. We are thrilled that American Flat Track offered us the opportunity to show off these custom motorcycles, but to also give these ladies the opportunity to put their flat track skills to the test. They have all received training from Lewis and now it’s up to them to apply what they’ve learned in a racing environment.”

Lewis trained the three of participants in two sessions as part of his Royal Enfield Slide School By Moto Anatomy course, his proprietary flat track training program. Working with Lewis, each woman received one-on-one training to further their flat track skills. Sano, who is substitute riding Andrea Lothrop’s motorcycle, attended a Slide School with Lewis earlier this month. Unfortunately, Lothrop is still unable to travel from Canada to compete. The women will then take part in a practice session, qualifying and main during the Atlanta Short Track AFT both on Friday and Saturday.

Lewis will be on hand to support the women and provide coaching, but elected to sit out this round of AFT competition. The Moto Anatomy x Royal Enfield team continues the development of the Twins FT and decided to use this week to collaborate further with technical partners to progress the Royal Enfield motor package.

Stay tuned to Royal Enfield’s social channels to follow along with the BTR ladies throughout the weekend.

Hang on for Some Wild Shit!

Hey,

Here we go. The 5-Ball Racing Team lost a member this week. Ray C. Wheeler fought off death numerous times in the last 20 years. He succeeded right up until this week. It’s an interesting time, because many of the brothers I hear from are at Ray’s age in his mid-70s including myself. It’s a decision point for many, whether to keep working or stop and how much activity can we still deliver accurately and effectively.

Some brothers are forced to keep going. They don’t have the financial wherewithal to kick back. I remember a brother saying, “Fuck that union gig!” Other brothers refused to pay into social security. It comes back to haunt them big time. But there’s a chrome side to the equation for us grubby bikers in the motorcycle industry. We love what we do. Every day is a play day full of creativity and adventure. We’re still having a blast.

I just ordered another batch of Prize Possession copies. It’s my first book the second edition. Have a terrific weekend. Ride safe.

The Bikernet Weekly News is sponsored in part by companies who also dig Freedom including: Cycle Source Magazine, the MRF, Las Vegas Bikefest, Iron Trader News, ChopperTown, BorntoRide.com and the Sturgis Motorcycle Museum. Most recently Quick Throttle Magazine came on board.

Ride fast and free forever!

–Bandit

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