MOTORCYCLE NEWS

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Honda Neowing concept
 

People are already calling this new Honda Neowing concept a 3-wheeled Goldwing, largely because it features a 4-cylinder flat four (boxer) engine, and because it's got the word "wing" in the name. But we can't see many Goldwing (or Gold Wing or even GoldWing) fans seeing it quite that way. Regardless, Honda is clearly playing catch-up with Piaggio, Peugeot and Yamaha, and is looking for feedback on this tricycle revealed at the 44th Tokyo Motor Show. It's a hybrid machine with electric motors on the wheels underpinned by a petrol engine of no specified capacity. Honda says it's developing its own ideas about leaning motorcycle suspension technology, probably because the competition has already established patents. Will we see it on the streets? Maybe. It's a growing market segment, and Honda didn't get to the top by being overly cautious.

Motorcycle Live 2015
 

28th November - 6th December. That's a reminder of the date. The NEC near Birmingham is the location. Advance adult tickets are £17.50 (£20 on the gate). Car parking is £10 all day. Suzuki will be celebrating 30 years of the GSX-R. Back Street Heroes Magazine will be hosting a custom bike show. Lee Bowers will be showing off his two-wheeled stunt skills. The National Motorcycle Museum will be out in force with a display of classic bikes. The feeble Get On campaign will be doing what it can to stoke up business. And there will be a live Freestyle Motocross show, but you'll pay extra to watch this (2,000 seats per show). The Motorcycle Live show times are all over the place. But broadly, the NEC doors open around 9.00am and close at around 6.00pm. So check the specifics before leaving home.

MOTORCYCLE LIVE

Vincent Black Prince to sell
 

Auction house Bonhams will be headed back to Las Vegas, USA on 7th January 2016, specifically to Bally's Hotel & Casino for its 8th Annual Sale at that location. At the moment (end of October 2015) there ain't too many bikes on the list. In fact, there are only three that we can see; a very rare 1955 Vincent Black Prince (image above), a 1926 Indian Daytona Factory Hillclimber, and a 1929 Indian Crocker featuring an interesting top-end conversion. Wanna take a closer look? Click here, brother/sister.

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Husqvarna Enduro 701
 

It's the new sibling to the established 690cc, liquid-cooled, single cylinder Husqvarna Supermoto. Features include switchable ABS, ride-by-wire throttle, 46mm fuel-injection, a WP 4CS front fork, a WP swinging arm, switchable engine maps and a slipper clutch. Also, Husqvarna tells us that the "frame is optimised for optimum performance", which sounds a lot like desperate marketing. 275mm front and rear suspension travel. 21-inch front wheel. 18-inch rear wheel. Shorties need not apply. And yes, we clipped the mirrors off to fit the bike in the box.

Yamaha PED2 electric...
 

Electrics are coming, and sooner than you might think. So okay, it's taken only about 100 years to successfully put an electric motorcycle on the market. And Yamaha, anxious to maintain its position, is working hard to produce viable offerings of its own. Hence the above PED2 ("D" for "dirt" maybe?). Details are scarce, except to say that the bike will use a brushless motor (which is currently de rigeur), a lithium-ion battery pack (which is also de rigeur), and it weighs-in at 100kgs which, for all you imperial-minded guys and gals, is 220lbs. No prices yet.

... and the PES2 electric
 

Meanwhile, the PES2 ("S" for "sport", perchance?) is the sports bike version and is much the same, technically speaking, as the PED2 except that an extra electric motor is planned for the front wheel thereby offering two-wheeled drive. Or ride. The weight is around 130kgs (286lbs). The problem with electric vehicles is, of course, that they don't get any lighter as the "fuel" is used. As soon as the boffins crack that one, the market will see a huge jump forward. But until then, electricians (or whatever we're gonna call the new breed of riders), will have to carry a lot of dead weight. No prices yet.

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Yamaha MT-09(ish) trike
 

It's just been revealed at the Tokyo Motor Show; another spin-off from the successful MT-09 range of Yamaha motorcycles. Officially it's called the

LMW-MWT-9 (apparently, the LMW stands for Leaning Multi Wheel, but we haven't decoded the rest). It's not clear who this 3-wheeler is aimed at, but we think it could be Mad Max fans, heroes of the coming apocalypse, and disabled bikers. Either way, it's interesting.

5 new Bonnies for 2016

Triumph Motorcycles has released (limited) details of 5 brand new bikes based upon its successful Bonneville platform. The range includes a 900cc Street Twin, two 1200cc Bonnevilles (standard and Black), a Triumph Thruxton and a Triumph Thruxton R. No prices yet, but you can check out the details here.

Yamaha 125cc Resonator
 

Everyone knows that of the Big Four (which ain't so big anymore), Yamaha make the coolest bikes. Well we think so, anyway. And we also think this new 125cc Resonator concept is going to win a lot of hearts and will influence a lot of people—if it ever gets the full production nod and makes it on to the world market. Want to read more about it? Okay, hit this button and be gone...

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Bonhams is still on a roll
 

World famous auction house Bonhams is still setting new sales records, this time at its Stafford Sale on 17th and 18th October 2015. Big money changed hands for some very desirable motorcycles. Check the news story right here.

Kawasaki Z125 mooted
 

Two versions are being offered by the Big K; the standard Z125 with automatic transmission, and the Z125 Pro with a manual clutch. Think 125cc four stroke single. Inverted front fork. 200mm front disc. 184mm rear disc. 12-inch wheels. 101kg (kerb weight). Colours: Candy Lime Green, Metallic Graphite Gray, and Candy Burnt Orange. This one is gunning for the Honda MSX125.

Gear Gremlin Fleece
 

It costs £13.99, it comes from Gear Gremlin, and we've been strutting around in a couple of these for a few weeks. Yes, it's a neck tube warmer thingy that doubles up as a bandana and a face mask and so on. Read all about it right here.

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KTM recall notification
 

This is about potentially leaking aluminium fuel pump housings. It applies to 2016 bikes, specifically: 250, 350, 450 SX-F/XC-F/EXC-F & EXC Six Days machines. Also, there's an issue with the fuel tank breather on Freeride 350 MY2012-2016 and Freeride 250 R MY2014-2016 models. All owners of new KTM bikes have been notified by mail (or so we're told). But if you've bought one second hand and/or are out of the loop, take a trip to your local KTM dealer and ask them to sort it out before the bike catches fire or something. It could happen. Apparently.

Honda CB500X for 2016

It's been upgraded for 2016 (or perhaps mildly tweaked is a more apt description). LED lights will be fitted at the front and rear, we hear. And the suspension will be adjustable for preload. Beyond that, this half-litre adventurer is either slightly better than it was or, depending on your point of view/preconceptions, not much improved. It's just been revealed at the 44th Tokyo Motor Show. Check the NC750X on the right...

Honda NC750X for 2016

You either like Honda's style of adventure bikes or you don't. We keep wavering between the extremes of opinion and we're not particularly wooed or converted one way or the other by this revamp. There's more onboard space for your lid (up to 22 litres from 21). A new Showa "dual bending" valve front fork, whatever that is, adds some bounce. Pre-load adjustable rear shock absorbers. Three levels of S modes for the Dual Clutch Transmission (DCT) variant. LED lights, and a higher screen.

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Yamaha's riding robot
 

That's Yamaha's Motobot above; the blue plastic thing hunched over the Yamaha sports bike. It was revealed at this year's Tokyo Motor Show (2015) and is another tantalising/worrying glimpse of a future that might come to pass if someone doesn't hurry up and drop the bloody bomb. Supposedly, the 'bot is being developed to help improve rider safety. But we can foresee a generation of robot motorcycle cops hurtling out from behind billboards and nicking us for everything from speeding to failing to update to the latest version of Microsoft Word. The world's gone mad, brother. But as ever, you have to move with the times.

Ikon shocks for V7 Guzzi
 

"Classic on the outside, yet with thoroughly modern internals and features." That's the claim from Australian firm, Ikon, which is looking for buyers of these shock absorbers, the details of which have just been released. Triple-rate progressive springs. Three position pre-load. Four-position rebound damping (adjustable by hands with no tools required). Re-buildable. Re-valveable. And generally redoubtable. These are available in black or chrome. The price per pair is £446.88 (including VAT). Call 01926 430562.

www.ikonshocks.co.uk

2nd generation HUD
 

British firm, Bikesystems, is trying to flog these 2nd generation head-up display devices for bikers. The bolt-on electronic gizmos cost £350 each and need an electrician (or similar) to install in your crash helmet. Interested? Okay, take a peek at our main story.

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