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Jensen Beeler

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The adorable pocket-sized motorcycle that won our hearts in 2013, the Honda Grom, is getting an update for the 2017 model year, and it’s headed to American soil as well.

As such, the 2017 Honda Grom sees the “monkey bike” getting a visual refresh (now available with more neon) and restyled fairings. Other changes include an LED headlight, flip-key, sportier handlebars, underslung exhaust, revised tail section, and higher passenger seat.

Available in August 2016, and priced at $3,199 MSRP, this modest model refresh should help the Grom compete with Team Green’s latest entry, the Kawasaki Z125 Pro.

We knew last year at the 2015 EICMA show that scrambler and other post-authentic models would finally be coming from the major manufacturers, especially as the Japanese OEMs caught up to the trend du jour.

At the time, the worry was that this marked motorcycling’s “jumping the shark” moment when it came to these throw-back machines, with the mainstream pushing out the fringe adopters, who would move on to their next counter-culture statement.

Today, we see the first of that momentum, with the 2017 Yamaha SCR950 – a scrambler-type model, which is based off the Yamaha Bolt cruiser platform.

The news is official now, the radical looking Yamaha MT-10 will be coming to the USA as the Yamaha FZ-10 street bike. Originally debuting at the 2015 EICMA show in Milan, the streetfighter model takes the current generation Yamaha YZF-R1 superbike, and turns it into a 160hp asphalt-eating street machine.

Since it has race track DNA, the Yamaha FZ-10 tips the scales at paltry 463 lbs, when fully fueled and ready to ride. The FZ-10 comes with a four-level traction control system, different throttle modes, and cruise control – because sometimes you want to be a law-abidding citizen.

Priced at $12,999 MSRP and available in “Armor Grey” or “Matte Raven Black” color schemes, American motorcyclists can expect to see the 2017 Yamaha FZ-10 at their location Yamaha dealership later this month.

Episode 29 of the Paddock Pass Podcast is out, and it has David Emmett and Neil Morrison covering the recent GP races at the Catalan GP in Barcelona, Spain – as well as the post-race test that was held in Catalunya, the Monday after the race.

The show starts with a discussion about the tragic loss of Luis Salom on Friday, with the guys talking about Luis’ life, both on and off the track. That somber conversation eventually turns to the racing action in Catalunya, as three well-fought races took place in Spain.

The bulk of the MotoGP conversation is about Rossi’s battle with Marcquez, again a conversation that spans from the on-track action, to off-track as well, as Rossi and Marquez seem to be finding some common ground to begin tolerating each other.

The boys then discuss the happenings in Moto3 and Moto2, followed by a discussion of Monday’s MotoGP testing. New tires, new parts, and some insight into how the 2016 MotoGP season might end were topics of major concern. We think you’ll find it highly informative, as always.

As always, be sure to follow the Paddock Pass Podcast on FacebookTwitter and subscribe to the show on iTunes and SoundCloud – we even have an RSS feed for you. If you like the show, we would really appreciate you giving it a review on iTunes. Thanks for listening!

The RL360º Quantum Superstock TT race features liter-class bikes that are supposed to be closer to what rolls out of a motorcycle dealership, as such, few modifications are allowed to these machines at the Isle of Man TT.

That being said, the Superstock TT bikes have been putting down impressive lap times, nearing the speeds that the Superbike TT machines produce. This is due partially to the plateauing of speeds at the Isle of Man, and also because modern-day superbikes are very stout, even right out of the box.

A good example of this is the “unofficial” outright lap record that Ian Hutchinson set on his superstock BMW S1000RR, but perhaps a better example was during this year’s Superstock TT race, where a new record was not only set, but the 133 mph barrier was broken yet again.

With the big bikes getting the 2016 Isle of Man TT off to a wonderful start, Monday saw the Supersport and Superstock bikes on the Mountain Course for the racing action. Though the machines were different, the same names were the talk of the paddock.

The weather was once again stellar for Race 1 of the Supersport TT, the first match of the 600cc class of machines, and all eyes on the TT course were getting record to see another race record drop. They would not be disappointed.

Attention KTM 1290 Super Adventure owners, KTM North America is recalling 1,238 units of the adventure-touring machine for a faulty rear shock.

According to a filing with the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), the rear shock on the KTM 1290 Super Adventure may leak oil from the rebound damping plug, which could result in a loss of shock function.

Since the loss of function from the rear shock can affect the handling of the motorcycle, which could result in a crash, a recall was issued with NHTSA.

The above photo seems to be the first leaked image of Honda’s new quarter-liter sport bike, which many have dubbed as the Honda CBR250RR. First debuted at the Honda “Light Weight Super Sports” concept, our sources say that the Honda CBR250RR has been green-lit for production.

Patents showing the Honda’s LED headlight seem to confirm that news, and many expect the twin-cylinder sport bike to be a response to the machines that Kawasaki, KTM, and Yamaha in the small-displacement space.

As such, we can expect the Honda CBR250RR to make north of 35hp from its 249cc lump that revs to 14,000 rpm..

The styling on the “Light Weight Super Sports” concept has been very aggressive, and if the image above is to be believed, the finished product doesn’t lose any of the concept’s razor-sharp edge.

If you have been following our Isle of Man TT coverage, then you already know that Michael Dunlop was the first rider to break the 133 mph lap barrier, the first rider to do a sub-17-minute lap time, and the outright fastest man ever around the Snaefell Mountain Course.

Mickey D would go on to win the Superbike TT race as well, setting a good tone to his Isle of Man TT race week.

Thanks to the miracle of on-board video technology, and the media-friendly forward-thinkers at the TT press office, we can bring you Michael Dunlop’s full record-setting lap.

If you have an extra 16 minutes and 58.254 seconds in your day, we suggest grabbing a beverage, cranking up the volume, and experiencing two-wheeled nirvana. Enjoy!

Episode 23 of the Two Enthusiasts Podcast is out for your audio pleasure, and it covers a range of topics that we think you will find interesting. First off, Quentin and Jensen cover the spectacle that is the Isle of Man TT, talking about this iconic road race, some of racers who compete in it, and what the TT needs to grow in the future.

This discussion then evolves into a conversation about flat track racing, which has already seen a bump in popularity, and seems to have additional momentum to grow in the coming years. This is of course aided by Harley-Davidson’s renewed interest in the sport, with the Bar & Shield brand releasing its first flat track race bike in 44 years, the Harley-Davidson XG750R.

The guys then turn their attention to lane-splitting in the USA, a topic that is fueled by the recent news that California is looking to codify the practice, which is already legal permissible in the Golden State. That codification process has consequences for riders outside of California as well though, and the guys talk about those in the show.

Overall it’s a very informative look at three hot topics in motorcycling. We think you will find it both enlightening and entertaining.

As always, you can listen to the show via the embedded SoundCloud player, after the jump, or you can find the show on iTunes (please leave a review) or this RSS feed. Be sure to follow us on Facebook and Twitter as well. Enjoy the show!