dual-sport Archives - Page 6 of 10

Dirt

Ducati Gets Dirty, Here Comes the Ducati Multistrada 1260 Enduro

By Jensen Beeler 10/09/2018 No Comments

After showing us three repainted Scrambler models at the INTERMOT show in Germany, Ducati has another reveal in the works, and the Italian company has begun teasing a new model that is set to debut this Friday.

Details are tight, but the teaser photo does give us a hint that the soon-to-be-released models like to play in the mud. Our guess? We think this will be the revised Ducati Multistrada 1260 Enduro – or so say our Bothan spies – with the same engine upgrade that came to the rest of the Multistrada lineup last year.

At the core of the update will be the Testastretta DVT 1262 engine, which makes 158hp in its Multistrada 1260 form.

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Dirt

Honda CRF250L Recalled for Wiring Harness Malfunctions

By Jensen Beeler 10/08/2018 No Comments

Honda is recalling 505 units of its 2018 Honda CRF250L dual-sport motorcycle because of production issues concerning the bike’s wiring harness. According to the Japanese manufacturer, the wiring harness may have been improperly installed at the company’s Thai factory, which could cause the harness to become damaged.

In its recall documents filed with the National Highway Traffic and Safety Administration (NHTSA), a damaged wiring harness was found during routine quality checks at the assembly plant. Honda then began an investigation and determined that the wiring harness was damaged during installation of the front fork assembly. Additional units were inspected with some units exhibiting the same symptom of a damaged wiring harness.

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Dirt

Moto Guzzi V85 TT Breaks Cover a Little Early

By Jensen Beeler 10/01/2018 No Comments

Last year, Moto Guzzi intrigued us with its V85 Enduro concept. The bike was based around a new 850cc, 80hp, longitudinal v-twin platform, and promised to be the basis for several new models for the Italian brand – the first of which would be an adventure-touring model.

Now, that wait is over, and we get our first glimpse of the 2019 Moto Guzzi V85 Tutto Terreno a few hours earlier than expected. True to expectations, the Moto Guzzi V85 TT is a middleweight ADV machine that promises some solid adventuring capabilities in a retro-styled package.

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Dirt

Big Updates Are Coming to the KTM 690 Enduro R for 2019

By Jensen Beeler 09/28/2018 No Comments

When it comes to big trail thumpers, the KTM 690 Enduro R is tough to beat, and because of that reason, the bike has seen few updates over the course of its long product cycle. Seeing that the popular dual-sport could use some love, leaked details from Europe show that KTM plans to update the KTM 690 Enduro R for the 2019 model year.

From the looks of things, the Austrians are going big with the 2019 KTM 690 Enduro R, as the leaked info tips the arrival of a new engine, chassis, and styling, as well as a bevy of new features.

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Bikes

Mega Gallery: BMW R1250GS

By Jensen Beeler 09/21/2018 No Comments

For the 2019 model year, BMW Motorrad is updating the venerable GS with a revised boxer engine, and thus is giving birth to the BMW R1250GS with ShiftCam technology. With that, the new engine makes a stout 134hp and 92 lbs•ft of torque.

To earn its name, the new ShiftCam motor uses a shifting camshaft on the intake valves (hence the name), which provides one set of valve duration and lift for cruising and city speeds, and another set for full-power applications. This should make the BMW R1250GS more well-mannered, while also improving fuel efficiency and engine response.

The R1200GS is easily the German company’s best-selling motorcycle in the US market, not to mention the world, which makes the R1250GS an important update for BMW Motorrad, and for 2019 BMW Motorrad has brought some smart updates to the bike.

For our money, the red/white/blue “HP” version looks the business, and ready to hit the trails. It includes more than a few bits from the aftermarket parts bin, including a solo “rally” seat, crash armor, shorter windscreen, wire wheels, and of course an Akrapovic exhaust.

It’s not clear when the 2019 BMW R1250GS will hit American dealers, but we’re expecting at least a $1000+ increase to accompany the updated GS when it finally arrives. Until then, we have almost 200 hi-res photos for you to drool over.

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Bikes

Up-Close with the 2019 Honda CRF450L Dual-Sport

By Jensen Beeler 09/19/2018 No Comments

Much was said about the 2019 Honda CRF450L before it even debuted in the United States, and the resounding collective opinion of the moto-journalists in attendance at its press launch was that the 450cc dual-sport is potent off-road, and well-mannered on the street.

Our own thoughts on the new Honda CRF450L are quite positive, and it rises to the top of the list of dual-sports that we would put in our garage. Getting an up-close look at the machine, you can see Honda’s quality shine through, from the engine to the switchgear, and even the body panels.

Making roughly 45hp at the crank, the CRF450L isn’t the most powerful bike in the category, put the torque curve on the Honda is tabletop flat and without holes. This makes the machine easy to hookup on the dirt, and refined for street riding…all the way to 85mph or more.

One of five new 450cc dirt bikes from Honda, the CRF450L is a true dual-sport – letting bikes like the CRF450RX and CRF450X fill the enduro niches for racing and pure trail riding. Thus having a weapon for every use, Honda smartly focused the CRF450L to be a dual-sport that can actually handle on street riding, instead of just compromising an exist dirt-focused machine.

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Dirt

What It’s Like to Ride the New Honda CRF450L Dual-Sport

By Jensen Beeler 09/17/2018 No Comments

Where do you begin about the 2019 Honda CRF450L? You can start with the dearth of 450cc dual-sport motorcycles for the American market, for one. You can talk about Honda’s new 450cc dirt bike lineup, which has spawned five separate models for the 2019 model year.

We of course have to mention the domination of the market by a certain European manufacturer, which prefers the color orange. And naturally, we should give a nod to the resurgence of the American off-road scene, and how Big Red wants to be part of that growing movement.

The truth is, all of these points are realities when it comes to the new Honda CRF450L – a dirt bike that is street-legal from the factory, for all 50 states of the Union. The United States is the target market for the 2019 Honda CRF450L, and for good reason. Honda sees a real opportunity for a 450cc dual-sport in the USA, one that can slot in between the woefully old Suzuki DRZ-400S and the “race bike with lights” KTM 450 EXC-F (sold in the US only as its kitted-out “Six Days” variant).

Among the first in the world to ride the 2019 Honda CRF450L, American Honda brought Asphalt & Rubber out to our own backyard, and let us loose on the CRF450L in Washington’s Gifford Pinchot National Forest. Providing a mix of gravel roads, single-track, double-track, and proper street use, we spent over 100 miles getting to see how well the Honda CRF450L plays on both the dirt and asphalt. In short? Very, very well.

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Dirt

Gone Riding: 2019 Honda CRF450L

By Jensen Beeler 09/12/2018 No Comments

For once, the motorcycle industry comes to us, as Asphalt & Rubber is up the road from our usual haunts, setting up camp in Washington state near Mt. Rainer, about we are about to ride the 2019 Honda CRF450L.

Sibling to the Honda CRF450X enduro, and cousin to the class-leading Honda CRF450R motocross bike, the Honda CRF450L is Big Red’s answer for those looking for a street legal 450cc dirt bike.

It has been a long time since we have seen a proper 450cc dual-sport from a Japanese brand, and Honda is finally taking up the charge to take on the competition from KTM and Husqvarna. As such, the Honda CRF450L provides a crucial stepping stone for riders looking to upgrade from a CRF250L (the top-selling dual-sport in the market), and it provides an option to those who want to ride from trail-to-trail with a plated dirt bike.

Per our new review format, I would be giving you a live assessment of the2019 Honda CRF450L right here in this article (down in the comments section), but American Honda has imposed an embargo until next week for ride reviews and critiques. So while we won’t be able to talk immediately about our riding impressions of the new CRF450L until Monday (not cool), we will still be able to field questions from our eager readers, which Honda can try and answer. Show them no mercy!

You can follow our thoughts on the bike live via Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram, and you can see what our colleagues are posting on social media by looking for the hashtags #CRF450L #RideRed #DualSport.

Spec-Sheet Comparison of Relevant Models to the Honda CRF450L:

	Honda CRF450L	KTM 450 EXC-F	Alta Redshift EXR
Horsepower	~40hp	62 hp	50 hp
Torque	–	–	42 lbs•ft
Weight	289 lbs (curb)	255 lbs (curb)	273 lbs
Fuel Tank	2 gallons	2.3 gallons	5.8 kWh
Price	$10,400	$11,700	$12,500

Photos of the 2019 Honda CRF450L:

2019 Honda CRF450L

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Rumors

A Quick Glimpse of the Triumph Scrambler 1200

By Jensen Beeler 09/07/2018 No Comments

Triumph continues to tease its big model reveal for the 2019 model year, the new Triumph Scrambler 1200. Releasing yet another teaser video (above) we get our first glimpse of the new machine.

Our sources tell us that the Triumph Scrambler 1200 will be a capable full-sized dual-sport, and it will be fitted with the “high torque” version of Triumph’s 1,200cc parallel-twin engine, which makes 80hp and 77 lbs•ft of torque.

Two model variations are also expected. One will be road-going, and have cast wheels and street-focused rubber. The other will have spoked wheels and knobby tires. We expect both bikes to have a robust electronics package (straight from the Tiger series, if our Bothan spies can be believed).

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Dirt

Triumph Begins the Big Scrambler Tease

By Jensen Beeler 08/09/2018 No Comments

In a few months, Triumph is going to show us its new big boy Scrambler model, another motorcycle that will join Triumph’s heritage motorcycle lineup.

We know quite a bit about this new model, firstly that it will be called the Triumph Scrambler 1200. As you might expect, the Triumph Scrambler 1200 is set to take on the Ducati Scrambler Desert Sled in this segment, a bike which should be getting an 1,100cc variant later this year as well.

Said to be a capable full-sized dual-sport, we expect the Scrambler 1200 to be fitted with the high-torque version of Triumph’s 1,200cc parallel-twin engine, which makes 80hp and 77 lbs•ft of torque.

Two model variations are also expected. One will be road-going, and have cast wheels and street-focused rubber. The other will have spoked wheels and knobby tires.

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Bikes

Harley-Davidson Debuts ADV Concept Bike

By Jensen Beeler 07/30/2018 No Comments

For as long as Asphalt & Rubber has been in business, we have never seen Harley-Davidson debut an actual new motorcycle.

Rehashing the same design ethos over and over again, Harley-Davidson’s “new” bikes each year fail to stray very far from their predecessors. This notion changes today, however.

Releasing a number of concepts for future machines, the Bar & Shield brand is showing signs of life. The concepts include electric motorcycles, e-bikes, a new roadster, a streetfighter, and even an adventure-tourer.

We will take a look at these machines in turn, but first up, let’s look at Harley-Davidson’s biggest surprise to us, its ADV bike, which is called the Harley-Davidson Pan America.

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