Confirming what we already knew, the 2013 Kawasaki Ninja 300 broke cover today, and is Team Green’s newest small-displacement sport bike in its motorcycle lineup. 296cc’s of twin-cylinder fury, Kawasaki the Ninja 300 boasts 40hp, twin-butterfly valves, fuel injection, a slipper clutch, a 140mm rear tire, and has optional ABS. A part of a larger movement within Kawasaki, the Ninja 300 exemplifies the “no replacement for displacement” school of thought, and will sell along-side the recently updated (and virtually visually identical) Kawasaki Ninja 250R in more than a few markets. While we know that the 2013 Kawasaki Ninja 300 is set to debut for our European readers, the big question mark will be whether the small sport bike will come to the North American markets.
If last year’s debut of the Triumph Tiger Explorer left you wanting a more off-road capable machine, then the British brand hopes that its now unveiled Triumph Tiger Explorer XC will suit your tastes. Featuring the same 135 hp / 89 lbs•ft 1215cc three cylinder motor as the Tiger Explorer, the Tiger Explorer XC primarily differentiates itself with its tubeless steel spoked wheels (19″ front, 17″ rear), and off-road accessories (hand guards, fog lights, engine crash bars, and an aluminum belly pan). You can get the Triumph Explorer XC in any color you want, as long as it’s Khaki Green.
Perhaps no one had worse luck at the Indianapolis GP than hometown favorite Nicky Hayden. Getting his bell rung during…
Never underestimate the power of denial. When we first published photos of the Japanese-spec Ducati 1199 Panigale, the immediate reaction from readers was that the machine had to be a hoax. Oh no dear Ducatisti, Japan’s v-twin abomination of Italy’s latest superbike is very real. With Japanese journalists now getting a chance to swing a leg over the machine, we get our first glimpse of the bike in motion. Noticeably quieter than our American-spec version, we still don’t understand the need for such a butchering of Ducati’s design. But then again, we’re bloggers, not engineers.
You probably haven’t heard of Alan Kempster before, but we promise that by the end of the video posted after the jump, he will be your personal hero. A double-amputee, Mr. Kempster lost his right-arm and right-leg after a tragic accident, which saw a drunk driver hit Alan while he was riding his motorcycle. Where many would have given-up, Alan persevered, and ultimately set out to resume his motorcycle racing efforts. Rigging his motorcycle to have its controls on the left-hand side, Alan finally convinced his local motorcycle racing league to let him compete. He won his very first race. His racing number is ½. Respect.
We have known for some time now that BMW was working on a successor to its wildly popular BMW R1200GS motorcycle. Expected to be a water-cooled boxer-twin, the new GS is an incredibly important machine for the German brand, and BMW is wasting no time hyping its unveiling. Set to break cover in just over a month at the INTERMOT show in Cologne, our wait to see the next iteration of the GS line is now almost at an end. With its air-cooled design an important feature of the current GS, it will be interesting to see the response from adventure riders when details of BMW’s new bike come to fruition. Will the GS continue to define the adventure-touring segment, or have zie Germans strayed too far from the winning formula?