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Transportation is changing. If you need proof beyond that statement, take a look at how brands like BMW are envisioning transportation in the future.

There has been no shortage lately of two-wheel brands reevaluating how people will move in close urban environments, and no brand has been experimenting more in this space than BMW and BMW Motorrad.

The German company already showed us last week its electric Honda Grom contender, the BMW Concept CE 02, which is aimed at younger riders (or non-riders) with a fun pint-sized form factory.

Now, the Bavarians have envisioned two more concepts for their last-mile arsenal, dubbed the BMW i Vision AMBY and BMW Motorrad i Vision AMBY. Names only an engineer could love.

Another recall that centers around braking components is hitting us this week, and this one concerns the Scout lineup of motorcycles from the Indian Motorcycle Company.

The recall focuses on the ABS unit for the Indian Scout, Scout Bobber, and Scout Sixty motorcycles from the 2019 model year. In total, 2,702 motorcycles are affected by the recall.

It should be noted that this recall is an extension of a previous recall by Indian for the Scout motorcycle, which was reported last year.

I once had a conversation with Ducati CEO Claudio Domenicali, where he described that in terms of safety advancement, cornering ABS was to the front wheel what traction control was to the rear wheel.

A few years later now, we see that the Italian brand is taking cornering ABS very seriously, and during the company’s EICMA unveiling event, Domenicali announced that Ducati is making cornering ABS a standard item on all of its 2019 model year motorcycles.

If you read publications from our colleagues in Europe, then you will know that Honda must surely have plans for a new CBR600RR for the 2019 model year. The proof that they offer is that the recent CARB filings by American Honda show a CBR with a significant weight drop for next year.

First spotted by our friends at Nieuwsmotor, the CARB filings quote a 10kg (22 lbs) weight difference between the listed Honda “CBR600RA” and Honda “CBR600RR” motorcycles, which makes it seem like a lighter and more focused supersport is on the way.

It is an interesting dream – and a funny one for European journalists to spot, since the CBR600 series is all but dead in Europe. But what is the reality of this discovery?

It has been 44 years since Honda offered the Super Cub on American soil. That is a pretty astounding thing to say, when you think about it, because the Super Cub is the best selling motorcycle in the world – with 100 million units sold, as of 2017.

Needless to say, the Honda Super Cub is beyond iconic, and it is the go-to people mover in more countries than we can count.

Now helping Honda fill-in a price-point hole in its motorcycle lineup, the 2019 Honda Super Cub C125 will be one of the cheapest motorcycle that Honda has to offer inside the United States, with an MSRP of $3,599.

Built using the same 125cc single-cylinder fuel-injected engine that features on the Grom and Monkey bikes, the Honda Super Cub C125 features a step-through body design and clutchless semi-automatic transmission, as well as ABS as standard.

Cornering ABS, it’s the hot new thing on motorcycles rights now. So important is this braking technology, one industry CEO explained it to me in the following terms: in terms of safety, it does to the front wheel what traction control has done for the rear wheel.

I won’t make the bold statement that IMU-powered (that’s inertial measurement units for the uninitiated) braking systems make it impossible to tuck the front wheel of a motorcycle, but they do make it exceedingly difficult to do so, especially by use of the brakes.

Not surprisingly then, we see a number of motorcycle brands offering this technology now, usually on their more premium models. KTM was the first do so, getting an exclusive from Bosch, one of the leaders in this space.

Since then though, cornering ABS has come to virtually every brand (strangely, none of the American motorcycle brands offer a motorcycle with cornering ABS right now), and we see several players offering systems to these OEMs, with Bosch and Continental leading the pack.

ARCH Motorcycle’s first model, the KRGT-1, is getting a host of updates for the 2018 model year. The big changes come in the form of ergonomic refinements, and modifications to the bodywork.

Other changes include updated front suspension, in the form of Öhlins FRGT series forks, and an ARCH proprietary rear shock; updated ISR Brakes with an optional ABS module; and Euro4 compliance for riders on the other side of the pond.

At the center of the ARCH KRGT-1 remains a 124ci (2,032cc) air-cooled v-twin engine, which is held in a steel frame with an aluminum subframe. Wheels are five-spoke carbon fiber pieces from BST.

Forward controls are standard on the ARCH KRGT-1, though mid-controls are available as an option, as well. 

We can expect to see the 2018 ARCH Motorcycle KRGT-1 early next year, available in the USA and Europe.

In case you can’t be one of the lucky 23 who own the carbon-fiber-everything that is the ARCH Method143, the ARCH Motorcycle has a bike for the rest of us.

Debuting today at the EICMA show in Milan, the ARCH 1S takes the American brand’s performance cruiser offering found in the ARCH KRGT-1, and ups the ante.

ARCH Motorcycle’s second production model, the ARCH 1S is built with CNC’d aluminum and carbon fiber parts, all of which tie together around the bike’s 124ci (2,032cc) v-twin engine.

Noticeably, this includes an aluminum single-sided swingarm design, that holds a BST carbon fiber wheel.

Zero Motorcycles is recalling several of its electric motorcycle models for issues with their anti-lock braking system (ABS) hydraulic control units (HCU). The recall affects 61 units from the Zero S, DS, and FXS model lineup.

According to documents filed with the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, the wrong vehicle model information was loaded into the HCU on the affected machines, meaning that the ABS settings on those motorcycle were not the correct ones for that particular bike.

Just a month ago, KTM issued a worldwide recall on its Adventure bikes because the ABS modulator and wiring harness could potentially come into contact with each other. Now, the same issue is hitting the KTM 690 Duke, and affects the bikes from the 2012-2016 model year.

As was the case with the previous recall, if the ABS modulator and wiring harness come into contact, and the wiring harness becomes frayed, it could cause an electric charge to be conducted through the ABS modulator, which would eventually overheat and melt the unit.

This can obviously lead to the brakes failing, and as such KTM dealers are being advised to inspect the routing of the wiring harness, and if necessary take corrective measures. A securing grounding cable will also be installed.