AFRICA ECO RACE: THE RACE IS WELL UNDERWAY

With 8 degrees on the thermometer, the temperature was already much milder on the morning of Thursday January 4 at the start of the Oued Draa bivouac, not far from Mahmid, the Mecca of Rally Raids in Morocco. All the conditions were in place for a great day’s racing.

Alessandro BOTTURI was all smiles at the finish of the 463km special stage between Mahmid and Assa. Riding his Yamaha 700 Ténéré, the two-time winner of the event had won the stage and taken 2nd place overall from Pol TARRES, the second official rider for the blues. It was a great result for the jovial Italian, who beat his team-mate by 00:01:29 in the selective sector and by 00:00:35 in the provisional standings:

“The stage was very beautiful, with some pretty good dunes, but the navigation wasn’t easy. From kilometer 210, we caught up with CERUTTI and rode with him. Yesterday I thought the pace was high and I wondered if I was old enough to compete with the two furious riders at the front. Today was even worse and yet I rode with them without any problems. We’ll see what happens next.

Finishing 3rd today at 00:02:18, Jacopo CERUTTI remains leader of the bike classification aboard his APRILIA Touareg 660 at 00:06:20.

The Italian had managed to hold onto the lead until the halfway point of the race, but was caught out by a small navigation error. It took more than 30 minutes for the first 450s to arrive, including the HONDA of Italian Giovanni GRITTI, the KTM of Swiss rider Alexandre VAUDAN and the HUSQVARNA of Guillaume BORNE. All three, separated by less than two minutes, are entered in the ROOKIE RIDER BY ACERBIS, which rewards the best riders under 35 who have never taken part in a major off-road rally. Last but not least, Italian Andrea GAVA put in a great performance, setting a magnificent 7th fastest time on his BETA from 33rd position.

In the Car/SSV/Truck category, it was once again an APACHE SSV that won this 3rd stage. This time, it was the car of Gautier PAULIN and Remi BOULANGER, ahead of the CAM AM of Heatcliff ZINGRAF and Gregory REVEST for 00:01:17 and the POLARIS of Éric SCHIANO and Camille POURCHIER, who recovered well from their problems at the start of the event.

Overall, the former Motocross champion maintains his lead on four wheels with a lead of just 00:03:35 over ZINGRAF. The battle rages on, with the POLARIS of Frédéric HENRICY and Éric BERSEY trailing behind at 01:17:23.

As for the cars, the TOYOTA of Belgian drivers Pascal FERYN and Kurt KEYSERS finished 9th overall at 01:14:45, ahead of the other 4X4 of the FERYN DAKAR TEAM of Koen WAUTERS and Kris VEN DER STEEN at just under 15 minutes. In the provisional general standings, FEYRIN leads the category ahead of WAUTERS.

In the truck category, the Czech Tomas TOMECEK finished 11th in this 3rd special stage and remains the leader of the desert mamoths.

In the Classic race, after this second stage, Yves LOUBET, the event’s Sporting Director, who was instrumental in the return of this historic category to the AFRICA ECO RACE, commented on the start of the race with his legendary enthusiasm and outspokenness:

“This Classic category in Africa, in the historic footsteps of the original event with a finish at Lac Rose, is a blessing for the discipline. The playing field is fantastic and Alain LOPEZ, who mapped out the route and determined the zones and average speeds imposed, has done an extraordinary job. The participants are in for a treat and the competition is going to be very competitive. The Classic race has all the safety, logistical and media resources that the Rally has to offer. It’s a race that’s just waiting to grow and, in time, it could become the absolute benchmark for the discipline.

Tomorrow, Friday January 5, another big stage awaits the participants, with 467km of selective sector and just 5km of liaison between Oued Draa and Fort Chacal.

And here are the stats on the day’s moto category. Check out Juan Pedrero Garcia’s position, on that Harley-Davidson Pan America!

Pos	pgr	N°	Nat.	Pilotes	Team	Marque	Grp/Pos	Cl/Pos	Scratch	Diff 1er	Péna
1	0	111		CERUTTI Jacopo	APRILIA RACING GCORSE		/	+700M / 1	11:47:19		00h00
2	+1	103		BOTTURI Alessandro	YAMAHA TENERE WORLD RAID TEAM		/	+700M / 2	11:53:39	00:06:20
3	-1	113		TARRES Pol	YAMAHA TENERE WORLD RAID TEAM		/	+700M / 3	11:54:14	00:06:55	00h00
4	+1	193		GRITTI Giovanni	RSMOTO RACING TEAM HONDA OIL		/	450 / 1	13:19:32	01:32:13
5	-1	125		BORNE Guillaume	CASTEU TROPHY		/	450 / 2	13:19:36	01:32:17	00h06
6	0	131		VAUDAN Alexandre	CASTEU TROPHY		/	450 / 3	13:34:00	01:46:41	00h15
7	+3	136		FERT Attilio	FRANCE ROAD BOOK		/	450 / 4	14:16:37	02:29:18
8	+4	122		MONTANARI Francesco	APRILIA RACING GCORSE		/	+700M / 4	14:28:28	02:41:09	00h15
9	-2	124		CHARLIER Nicolas	YAMAHA TENERE WORLD RAID TEAM		/	+700M / 5	14:31:24	02:44:05	00h01
10	+4	144		FONTANA Marco Aurelio	HONDA GENUINE OIL		/	450 / 5	14:38:40	02:51:21
11	+8	114		RUOSO Alessandro	TWINSBIKE RACING TEAM		/	+700M / 6	14:55:45	03:08:26
12	-3	128		QUINTO Nicola	JACQUE DE MOLAY		/	450 / 6	14:56:33	03:09:14	00h15
13	0	171		GUERRINI Massimiliano	SOLARYS RACING		/	450 / 7	15:03:57	03:16:38	00h35
14	-3	181		MENICHINI Marco	SOLARYS RACING		/	450 / 8	15:05:03	03:17:44	00h30
15	-7	105		PEDRERO GARCIA Juan	HARLEY DAVIDSON		/	1000M / 1	15:19:15	03:31:56
16	+2	140		DETOURBET Antoine	ANTOINE DETOURBET		/	450 / 9	15:44:21	03:57:02	00h15
17	0	143		DURAND Kevin	RS MOTO		/	450 / 10	15:48:13	04:00:54
18	+2	107		CHIUSSI Stefano	OFFROAD CREW		/	+450 / 1	15:52:26	04:05:07
19	-3	115		TAZZARI Angelo	TWINSBIKE RACING TEAM		/	+700M / 7	15:54:19	04:07:00	00h15
20	+3	146		ERBACH Jan Hendrik	SOLARYS RACING		/	450 / 11	16:26:11	04:38:52
21	+1	127		STIGLIANO Giovanni	JBRALLY ASD		/	+450 / 2	16:28:17	04:40:58
22	+11	133		GAVA Andrea	NSM RACING TEAM		/	+450 / 3	16:38:34	04:51:15	00h15
23	+2	119		PEILA UGO DOMENICO Pietro	OFFROAD CREW		/	450 / 12	16:48:31	05:01:12	00h22
24	-3	145		SILVA Nuno	OLD FRIENS RALLY TEAM		/	450 / 13	16:52:51	05:05:32	00h46
25	+1	148		CARILLON Patrice	SARL HOTEL DES SOURCES		/	450 / 14	17:00:06	05:12:47
26	+2	134		COSTARD Thierry	LDZ56		/	450 / 15	17:05:43	05:18:24	00h02
27	+4	120		BOTTU Nicolas	UNITED WE TRACE		/	450 / 16	18:06:25	06:19:06	00h47
28	-1	139		SALDANA GONI Ruben	OFFROAD CREW		/	+450 / 4	18:42:33	06:55:14
29	+1	138		VILLARRUBIA GARCIA Julian	OFFROAD CREW		/	+450 / 5	18:42:43	06:55:24
30	-1	137		DUTTO Nicola	OFFROAD CREW		/	+450 / 6	18:43:34	06:56:15
31	+3	163		CAPRIONI Paolo	TEAM KAPRIONY		/	+700M / 8	18:48:41	07:01:22	00h37
32	+5	186		SKARPAAS Richard	A4PLUSS		/	450 / 17	20:26:25	08:39:06	00h15
33	-1	141		RIGONI Alessandro	SOLARYS RACING		/	450 / 18	20:33:59	08:46:40	00h15
34	+4	185		HELLSTEN Joachim	A4PLUSS		/	450 / 19	20:43:22	08:56:03	00h30
35	+4	123		VAN OLST Robert	WOOD BV		/	450 / 20	20:56:31	09:09:12	00h17
36	-1	174		MURATORI Francesco	NSM RACING TEAM		/	450 / 21	21:30:44	09:43:25	00h02
37	+3	157		RUCK Vanessa	THE GIRL ON A BIKE		/	450 / 22	25:16:50	13:29:31	02h00
38	+4	178		SCHMUTZ Gunter	MALE MOTO		/	450 / 23	26:01:33	14:14:14	02h15
39	0	177		TANAKA Ai	AI78		/	+450 / 7	32:13:29	20:26:10	16h30

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SPECIAL DAY AT THE AFRICA ECO RACE

From sunrise, with sub-zero temperatures at the Boudnib bivouac, the day got off to a difficult start for the participants in the AFRICA ECO RACE 2024. The 383km special stage between Boudnib and Mhamid was not going to make it any easier.

While the competitors in the race, the Classic and the participants in the Raid were giving their all on the track, and the organising team was in place to manage the race, the terrible news of René METGE’s death began to spread throughout the race. Suffice to say that the atmosphere was heavy on the Mhamid bivouac at the end of the day and that the performances on this 2nd stage almost took second place.

Whatever happens, the race will continue tomorrow as René, one of the pillars of the AFRICA ECO RACE, would have wanted.

In the Motorcycle category, the top three riders in the standings completed the 383km selective sector in just over 4 hours, averaging 92km/h and nearly an hour ahead of schedule.

Jacopo CERUTTI started first this morning and led the way all day in his APRILIA. Without ever being caught up, the Italian even widened the gap over the two YAMAHAs of Pol TARRES and Alessandro BOTTURI and now has an overall lead of 00:08:53 over the Spaniard and 00:10:17 over his compatriot. He was therefore rather satisfied at the finish:

“I really rode to my maximum today. I feel good on the bike and I have a good feeling with the road book, which is really well done. It’s a long way to Dakar but for the moment I’m having a lot of fun, especially in today’s short stage which I would have preferred to have been longer because I was enjoying myself so much.”

Behind him, Franco-Moroccan Guillaume BORNE confirmed his position, putting his HUSQVARNA in 4th place ahead of the KTM of Swiss rider Alexandre VAUDAN, both on 450s.

On four wheels, for the moment, the SSVs are ruling the roost, in particular the two APACHE T3 Hybrids which took the first two places today. Victory went to Pierre-Louis LOUBET and François BORSOTTO, ahead of Gautier PAULIN and Remi BOULANGER by 00:05:24, while the CAN AM of Heatcliff ZINGRAFF and Gregory REVEST completed the special stage podium at 00:08:26.

In the overall standings, in his first participation in a Cross-Country Rally, Gautier PAULIN is in the lead ahead of Heatcliff ZINGRAFF. The former Motocross Champion and captain of the French team, winner of the Grand Prix des Nations a few months ago, is nonetheless very humble when he talks about his performance:

“The APACHE proto is incredible and great fun to drive. The two- or four-wheel drive mode, which allows either power to be stored or efficiency to be used, is complicated to manage. It’s a real sport to be in the bucket. I did my first laps today in the Merzouga dunes. I clearly wasn’t very good but that’s normal, I need to learn. It was also complicated in the dust because I had to hold off. But I’m satisfied with the first two days all the same”

By finishing 9th today with their TOYOTA, Belgians Pascal FERYN and Kurt KEYSERS take the lead in the Car category and 6th place overall, just over 15 minutes ahead of their team-mates and compatriots Koen WAUTERS and Kris VEN DER STEEN.

In the truck category, the Czech Tomas TOMECEK, alone at the wheel of his TATRA, although 2nd today, retains the lead in the provisional standings ahead of the SCANIA of Dutchmen Aad VAN VELSEN, Michel VAN VELSEN and Marco SIEMONS.

In the Classic category, a regularity race reserved for off-road vehicles built before 2000, after yesterday’s liaison stage, the first five sectors were completed on this 2nd stage to Mhamid. Eric and Tom CLAEYS were the most consistent on their 73 TOYOTA Land Cruiser. The Belgians were ahead of their compatriots René DECLERCQ and John DEMEESTER on their BOMBARDIER Iltis, both great specialists in the discipline. Dutchman Peter BRABECK and Frenchman Jean-Michel GAYTE complete the provisional podium in a MITSUBISHI Pajero.

Tomorrow, the AFRICA ECO RACE caravan will head south to Oued Draa with 522km to cover, including 463km of special stages. It will be an intense day, with the Erg Chegaga sometimes difficult to cross. Manfred KROISS, the event’s Sporting Director, decided to dedicate this stage to René METGE, his mentor and friend.

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A Tough Route

Image: ASO

Although the race runs west-to-east entirely inside the country of Saudi Arabia, it still covers almost 8,000 kilometers this year. That includes 4,727 kilometers of timed special sections. The race runs January 5-19, running from AlUla to Yanbu, with a rest day in Riyadh between Stage 6 and Stage 7.

We get the usual talk of “toughest Dakar ever” from the organizers again. But while those guys are definitely prone to exaggeration (and are not beyond helping out their star racers, if they get too off-course), remember that it’s in the organizers’ interest to slow things down. Tougher terrain means slower speeds, and the big bosses are keen to slow the motorcycles down to avoid crashes resulting in injury and death.

The ASO says 60 percent of this year’s ride sections are all-new, so teams will be scrambling to figure out the mapping secrets on the fly, with much less capability to rely on work done in past races.

Rulebook revisions

Adrien Van Beveren will have an old-school paper roadbook, along with other RallyGP riders, but Rally2 mostly has electro-roadbooks this year. Photo: Honda Racing

No race series is complete without an annual turnover of rule changes for the fans to argue about. For the 2024 Dakar Rally, we see a revision to the second marathon stage, which will run in Saudi Arabia’s Empty Quarter. In this stage, organizers will set up six different campsites in the desert. After 4 PM on the first race day of the marathon stage, the riders must stop their racing, and instead of jockeying for position, they must instead head directly to the next campsite on the route. Do not pass Go, do not collect $200, etc., etc.

Why this change? Maybe it’s supposed to create artificial drama in the bivouac; good luck getting parts from your factory teammate, if that teammate is in another bivouac. Or maybe it will make some riders slow down, or speed up, in order to not get stuck in a bivouac they don’t want to be in. Whatever the reason, it’s pretty typical of the organizers at the ASO—a wacky, weird rulebook change that will almost certainly only last a year or three, and then disappear like so many other oddball regulations.

Another big rule change that is almost certainly here to stay: Many moto competitors will be switched to an electronic roadbook this year, but the rules are unevenly applied. This year, the Elite riders, the factory teams battling for top positions, are allowed to still run old-school, reliable paper maps. Almost everyone else is required to use a new electronic roadbook device (some riders in Rally2 class get an exemption, presumably because they are capable of challenging for a top-20 or top-10 slot).

There has already been some discontent voiced over the ASO’s required electro-navigation equipment, but the organizers say like-it-or-lump-it; their made-in-France gear is the standard. In other words, the same old capricious law-making from the ASO. Dakar may look a lot different from its days in Africa or South America, but some things will never change.

Lineup changes

Wait, wot? Bam Bam is not wearing a Honda sweater? Joan Barreda is now riding for Hero’s factory team. Photo: Hero

The rider lineup looks a lot different in 2024, compared to the race field we saw in 2023.

• Honda The biggest news this summer was Skyler Howes’ move to Honda. That leaves Honda with the two fastest American riders at Dakar, as Ricky Brabec is also on-board. It also means Honda is going into Dakar with the strongest factory team, since Howes was not replaced after leaving the Husqvarna team, and KTM’s crew is banged-up and also down a man. Honda, meanwhile, has the two Americans plus a whole host of other strong competitors. Jose Ignacio Cornejo returns for 2024, always a threat for a podium spot and a daily stage victory. Same goes for Pablo Quintanilla and Adrien Van Beveren. And just in case those guys can’t handle things, Honda also brought along youngster Tosha Schareina, who impressed in W2RC competition this year (including a win at the Argentina race). And once again, Ruben Faria is running the whole show. Add it all up, and Honda just might have the most formidable factory team to ever tackle Dakar.
• Husqvarna Aside from Howes’ departure, no changes here. Luciano Benavides is the only remaining racer on this team. He won the W2RC title in 2023, which is no guarantee of Dakar victory, but it shows he’s truly a top-level rider now. He reportedly had a wrist injury to sort out before Dakar. We haven’t heard much, so it can’t be serious.
• KTM For years, KTM was The Team To Beat at Dakar… and nobody was actually able to beat them. That’s changed over the past five years, but if everyone is healthy, KTM’s factory riders still have the best winning record at Dakar, by far. But in 2024, everyone isn’t healthy. Matthias Walkner broke his leg badly in a training crash, and will not race. Kevin Benavides also banged up his leg, and is heading to the Dakar with only five weeks of recovery time. However, Toby Price is still running for KTM, and he’s arguably the most alien-like rider in rally raid today.
• GasGas The third part of the Pierer AG-owned factory triple threat. Sam Sunderland returns, and seems healthy. Daniel Sanders also returns; he broke his leg badly about a half-year ago, and the word on the street is that he’s just getting back up to speed now. Sunderland proved he can win in the past, and Sanders is keen to show the same. Expect these guys to push hard, particularly as Sunderland appears to have no other setting besides “Win it or bin it.”
• Hero Speaking of “Win it or bin it,” everybody’s favorite crashaholic, Joan Barreda, has signed with Hero after many years on a Honda. While Hero might be seen as a second-tier team, combining Bam Bam’s speed with Mike Buhler, Ross Branch and Joaquim Rodrigues shows they’re very serious about this race. Will they win first place overall? Probably not, but they’ll probably do well in the dailies, and maybe get one or two guys in the top 10 if their bikes hold together. This is going to be perhaps the strongest up-and-coming team in the next half-decade.
• Kove This Chinese factory team made history by getting all three of their bikes across the finish line in 2023. Zhang Min returns for the team, with additions of Neels Theric and veteran Xavier Flick. But more interestingly, American rider Mason Klein is also on a Kove factory bike, although he is not part of the official factory team. It was a real struggle for Klein to get his bike into scrutineering on time, as Dubai’s customs held it up—but an all-night driving session by Kove’s team got it there! With that stress over, you can bet he’s keen to show he can pick up where he left off last year, before he had to leave the race due to injury.
• Fantic The Yamaha factory team is gone, replaced by Fantic, which is based very much on Yamaha’s old 450. Alas, Franco Picco is not riding for the team this year… but he is managing it!
• Sherco Rui Goncalves returns, and Lorenzo Santolino. Harith Noah is also on the team this year.

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For starts, de Seyenes told MCN that despite some attempts by the moto industry to explore hydrogen power, it’s energy-intensive to produce and that makes it “a dream” for now. The OEMs do know how to harness hydrogen as a fuel, even for something as small as a scooter, but de Seynes says it is impractical to use at this point.

What of battery power, then? We already see electric motorcycles and scooters in use in urban centers, and de Seynes says the technology is “manageable” if you’re riding 50 miles a day or less. Since this will work in major population centers, he figures this is where the moto industry will focus its efforts in coming years. Note that Yamaha just announced Enyring, a battery-swap company that will be based in Europe, opening next year.

There are many angles to work out with battery bikes, de Seynes told MCN. And while European leaders (and politicos in many other countries) are bent on cracking down hard on internal combustion engines starting in 2030, with total decarbonization of new vehicles by 2035, de Seynes seems to be hoping for some wiggle room on those dates. For now, he says there is no viable replacement for internal combustion; manufacturers are still looking for a practical “next step,”

Read the whole interview here. If you’re wondering where motorcycling will go in the next decade, you need to know what the big bosses behind these companies have to say!

The post Yamaha Bigwig Says Europe’s De-Carbon Plan Is Currently “Not Realistic” appeared first on Adventure Rider.

Despite the excitement of the start of actual timed racing, things were saddened today by the passing of legendary race driver René Metge, one of the key figures in the founding of the African race (after winning multiple Dakar titles). The Eco Race organizers said “A key figure in Cross-Country Rallies since the discipline’s inception, he was one of the founding pillars of this great African Rally. But beyond that, he was the patriarch of our great AFRICA ECO RACE family. René was 82 years old. This exceptional driver and immense organizer has given his last timing card. He will leave a great void in the world of motor sports and in our hearts. The final gesture of this big-hearted man, for whom friendship was stronger than anything, was to ask to be buried after the finish of the Rally.”

Unfortunately, there’s not a whole lot of info on the Eco Race, as far as daily finishing stats, so we’ll share what we can with you—the organizers’ official report (below) and YouTube update (above).

A BUSY FIRST DAY FOR THE AFRICA ECO RACE 2024

It was 6:30 a.m. on Tuesday, January 2nd 2024, when the first vehicle in the AFRICA ECO RACE caravan touched down on the quayside of the port of Nador in northern Morocco.

Once the administrative formalities had been completed, the first motorcycle set off on the 185 km route to the start line not far from Debdou, almost 1h30 behind schedule.

The program included a rather rolling special stage with frequent changes of direction, and in the end, 173 km swallowed up in 01:54:09 by the APRILIA Touareg 660 of Italian Jacopo CERUTTI. A superb performance for the Italian brand’s return to offroad rallies, ahead of the two YAMAHA Ténéré 700s of Alessandro BOTTURI and Pol TARRES, at 00:01:47, but separated by just 3 seconds.

A particular performance of the French-Moroccan Guillaume BORNE, who placed his HUSQVARNA 450 in 4th position ahead of the HONDA 450 of Italian Giovanni GRITTI, who rounded off the top 5. Behind him, Swiss rider Alexandre VAUDAN also made a name for himself on his KTM, finishing just 12 minutes ahead of Frenchman Attilio FERT, also on an Austrian machine. A bike from a manufacturer unaccustomed to being at the forefront of the discipline finished 8th. It was the HARLEY DAVIDSON 1250 of Spaniard Joan PEDRERO.

Rounding out the day’s top 10 were the BETA of Italian Andrea GAVA and the APRILIA of his compatriot Francesco MONTANARI.

On four wheels, following a technical problem, the timing team, the ERTF team in charge of GPS tracking and race management had to work through the night to define the times of each participant and produce the day’s final rankings.

In the end, Spaniards Carlos VENTO and Carlos RUIZ MORENO won their CAN AM for 00:03:11 ahead of the OLIVEIRA team, Rui and Bernardo. Another CAN AM rounded off the day’s podium with the Franco-German crew of Heatcliff ZINGRAF and Gregory REVEST. We had to drop down to 6th position to find the first car of the Belgians Koen WAUTERS and Kris VEN DER STEEN on a TOYOTA. Czech Tomas TOMECEK won the truck category, finishing 11th overall.

The post 2024 Africa Eco Race, Day 1 appeared first on Adventure Rider.

Here, we see the factory mechanics pulling apart Toby Price’s bike for its end-of-stage spa treatment. And they really do pull it apart; the fork tubes come off, the tank comes off, the rear subframe comes off, the clutch comes out, and so on. Everything is done carefully and quickly, even cleanly. Their workbench is in the middle of the desert, but I bet there’s more dust on my backyard workshop bench than there is on their workspace.

Some stuff gets replaced (exhaust mid-pipe, front rim), brake fluids get a check-up, and check out that massive oil filter. There are some very cool parts on this bike that us hoi-polloi customers shall never see on our own rides (unless we have the money and swing to get ourselves a KTM rally replica).

It all leaves you with mad respect for the mechanics who are good enough to get the invite to go with the factory team, as they must be able to perform at high level in difficult conditions. But even more-so, think of the Malle Moto maniacs who must wrench on their own bike (obviously not at this level, but still a lot of work) and actually get the thing across the finish line, without a team behind them.

The post Toby Price’s Mid-Race KTM Race Bike Service appeared first on Adventure Rider.

Essentially, Race to Win combines the Dakar Rally with a fantasy football style of game. After registering, players build a team by selecting one vehicle from all of the seven classes: Rally GP, Rally 2, Quad, Ultimate, Challenger, SSV, and Trucks. Each time one of your selected competitors completes a stage, you earn 20 points. If they finish in the top ten, you earn even more points, ranging from 55 for tenth place to 200 for first. Additionally, you can choose one of your team members for a Stage Winner Bonus, which will double your points if they win that stage. All positions will earn double points for stage six, which takes place over two days. Other daily bonus points will be up for grabs as well, such as the Aramco Booster quiz.

Choosing your own Dakar winners is a neat way to get fans involved and keep them interested in the race. It’s also a way to win some prizes if you do particularly well with your choices. The grand prize is an all-expense paid VIP trip to Dakar 2025. Second through tenth-place finishers will win signed memorabilia from the race, while 11th through 20th place will win a copy of the Dakar Desert Rally video game. Given the worldwide audience, chances of actually winning anything are rather low, like the lottery. But unlike the lottery, Race to Win costs nothing to play, so other than giving away a little bit of personal information (what website doesn’t require that these days?) it’s a fun way to get involved and become personally invested in the results. May the odds be ever in your favor.

The post Predict Dakar Winners, Win Fabulous Prizes appeared first on Adventure Rider.

Similar to bankruptcy, receivership is brought about by the company’s creditors, not the company itself, in a quest to liquidate the assets of a company (or sell it outright) to pay off debts. Electrek says Sondors and its assets are now for sale.

Electrek.com claims Sondor’s suppliers have gone unpaid for some time and shipment of products, most notably the street-legal Metacycle electric motorcycle, has stopped and both finished and unfinished bikes are apparently sitting in a facility in China. In paperwork filed well before the receivership, Sondors claims it had shipped thousands of bike to customers. Electrek says a review of the receivership documents indicate there may be in excess of 10,000 deposits for Sondors’ Metacycle, representing almost $20 million in cash. What will happen with those deposits is not addressed in the documents.

Sondors made a splash on the electric motorcycle scene during the pandemic with the promised freeway-legal Metacycle, a $5,000 electric motorbike which sported a large hub motor in the back wheel and a removable battery pack. It also featured an unusual “hollow” frame design and futuristic appearance. However, the Metacycle’s weight, features, quality and performance claims came under scrutiny from several quarters when the first Metacycle units were subjected to review in 2022, which included the popular Fortnine YouTube channel hosted by Ryan Kluftinger, better known as RyanF9. Ryan ultimately gave the Metacycle a pass on the merits of price and enjoyment, but also cautioned buyers beware over unmet promises.

Along with the Metacycle, Sondors also sold a selection of e-bikes from between $1,700 and $3,500. The ebikes and Metacycle were constructed in China, and the company apparently had a number of other new products in development. Phone calls to a Sondors customer support phone number with a Los Angeles area code resulted in a busy signal. So far, emails from ADVrider seeking comment have not yet been returned.

Did you order a Metacycle? Did it arrive? Tell us your story in comments.

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Giant Loop Fandango tank bag (50% off)

Looks like Giant Loop only has the gray version of this tankbag on sale, and at $150, it still ain’t cheap. These are fairly weatherproof and come with a rolltop liner if the rain gets really bad. Very sturdy build, with eight liter capacity. It’s not clear why the gray versions are on discount, but these should reflect a lot more sunlight than the basic black version that most people get. That might be better, if you’re storing sensitive electronics such as a camera in there.

DirtRacks Sale (10% off)

DirtRacks makes solid kit for dual sport bikes, some of the most practical racks in the biz. The lineup even includes parts for the Gen 3 KLR! It’s all currently 10 percent off as part of the winter sale. The deal ends January 31.

Tusk aluminum tire iron w/axle wrench (26% off)

We all want to save weight on our toolkit, and we all want to save money. This combo tool allows you to do both. Comes in common axle nut sizes, and pretty affordable at well under twenty bucks currently at RMATV.

AGV AX9 Refractive helmet (50% off)

When is the best time to buy expensive gear? The obvious answer: When it’s on sale. Currently, this helmet is half-off, and still expensive at $350, but much more affordable than before! You’re paying for swanky fit/finish and careful construction (carbon, aramid and fiberglass shell). There’s lots of venting, and the helmet can be worn with goggles, without goggles, with the peak, without the peak… it can do whatever you want a full-face or off-road helmet to do.

Bull-It Ranger riding jeans (35% off)

Revzilla has a lot of Bull-It riding jeans on sale. These ones are about $85, but if you head to the website, you’ll see a wide variety available, all at decent discounts. Replacement knee armor is also on sale!

KTM Pure Racing T-shirt (57% off)

The Dakar Rally is upon us. Show your loyalty to the KTM factory team with your new T-shirt (also applicable as Supercross kicks off). Under $13, so basically as cheap as you’ll get an OEM shirt!

REV’IT! Sand 4 gloves (50% off)

Still on sale this week. Some of the most comfortable gloves you can find for dirt riding. Not waterproof, but they dry off quickly thanks to mesh construction, and don’t pong badly for days on-end after getting good and soaked, which all waterproof gloves do anyway. The soft armor might be too light for some riders’ liking, but if you don’t fall off the bike, it’s nae problem, right? Sixty bucks is a good price for some of the best hot-weather comfort you’ll ever find.

Oryx Moto – BMW F750/850 GS Premium Radiator Guard (30% off)

Oryx Moto’s Radiator Guards for the BMW F750/850 GS are made from 1200 H4 grade aluminum for its high strength, light weight and high thermal conductivity. 316 stainless steel fasteners are provided to complete the non-corrosive package. They should last the life of your bike, and can save you the frustration of a punctured radiator. Thirty percent off for a limited time using code ORYX30 (and that code will work in Canada or the US).

The post Deals of the Week! appeared first on Adventure Rider.

For reasons I dinnae ken, the H-D PR doesn’t actually list the returning machines. However, we are given this following tidbit:

The limited-production 2024 models from Harley-Davidson® Custom Vehicle Operations (CVO) and more new Harley-Davidson motorcycle models will be revealed with a special launch film “American Dreamin’” on H-D.com at 10 a.m. CST on January 24.

“The Dawn of a New Era”: Marketing-Speak, or something big coming? We’ve been told it was the second… Photo: Harley-Davidson

So, wait three weeks, and we’ll see new bikes. Hmmmmm. Only a few hours ago, we told you we expected to see a Harley-Davidson Pan America 975 launched in coming days. Could it be as early as the end of this January? Stay tune; we’re ready to have our heart broken again, so to speak (we thought this machine was coming last year).

Digging into the Harley-Davidson website, it is worth noting that H-D has three Trike models returning for 2024 and two electric motorcycles (under the LiveWire brand) while the lineup still only contains a single Adventure Touring model, the Pan America 1250 Special (the base model is gone). If you’ve been paying attention to the new bike releases from last year, you should know that adventure bikes are currently the hottest segment in motorcycling. So why isn’t Harley-Davidson pushing harder here? Is the Pan America’s profit margin too thin? Or are the MoCo faithful just not buying into the ADV scene? Or, should we just be patient? Change does not happen overnight.

Harley-Davidson currently has three Trike models in the lineup, to a single Adventure Touring model. Photo: Harley-Davidson

We should know more in three weeks’ time, but expect to see more cruisers/tourers/baggers/etc. than ADV bikes.

As for the returning 2024 machines, see the Sport models here; the Cruiser models here; the Touring models here; the Adventure Touring segment here; the Trikes here.

The post Harley-Davidson Website Announces Returning ’24 Machines appeared first on Adventure Rider.

Under the New Rider Programme (please forgive the Brits their spelling), we see riders offered what they need (training, gear and a new bike) for a modest up-front fee, followed by a variable monthly fee, with another chunk of cash required at the end of three years’ time if you want to keep the bike.

The New Rider Programme website lays out the details here. Note that some of these numbers will vary, based on which bike you choose. The site displays a CB750 Hornet at a cost of £7,299 (about $9,200 USD). To participate, the rider must pay £1,643.55 up-front, or about $2,100 USD. From there, they have 36 monthly payments of £89 (about $110 USD). Then, when three years are up, they can pay £3,837.86, or about $4,900 USD, to keep the bike.

Maybe not a screaming deal, but they are sums that most riders can at least imagine themselves managing; of course, the price would drop if you were on a smaller bike.

The New Rider Programme also offers the option of baking training and riding gear into the cost, for £1,400 (roughly $1,800 USD). That requires no additional up-front payment; instead, that cost can be also spread over 36 months at £44.83 a month, or almost $60 USD.

A rider could get outfitted with gear, a reasonably fast bike and training for about $170 a month, then, with payments of of $2,100 to start and $4,900 if they wish to keep their machine at the end. Maybe this would make financial sense for some, and it wouldn’t for others (there is a mileage limit!). However, I will say that whether or not the numbers make sense, I can certainly imagine that many new riders will look at the costs and find them reasonably attractive. Could a new, similar program work, with training and gear included, to boost moto sales in the US? Or do existing payment and training programs (some OEMs already do offer attractive deals to new riders) already cover this?

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That means, quick-swap battery stations for ebikes—at least at first. Although Yamaha is a member of the multi-manufacturer Swappable Battery Consortium, this is not aimed at full-sized motorcycles. As per the PR:

With the target of compact urban electric vehicles in the low-speed range (mainly eBikes), ENYRING’s services will rent out batteries available on a subscription basis. These batteries can be easily swapped out at any of the swappable battery stations installed throughout a city at any time, eliminating the hassle of recharging as well as the cost of purchasing a new battery once one reaches the end of its lifecycle. Furthermore, used batteries that are no longer suitable for mobility use are reused as storage batteries, disassembled into cells, recycled, and reused as new batteries.

Yamaha says this business model will help create “a sustainable, recycling-oriented society” that offers affordable and easy mobility while also reducing environmental impact. YMMV, of course.

Enyring will be based in Berlin, and while the company is already officially established, Yamaha does not expect Enyring to begin operations until early 2025 (which is only a year away now, if you’ve been paying attention to the calendar).

Yamaha says this is all part of the company’s plan to reduce waste, use natural resources sustainably and to improve energy efficiency—”all key issues identified in the Yamaha Motor Group Environmental Plan 2050,” as the PR says. However, it is worth noting that unlike Honda’s big-headline EV announcements, or Kawasaki’s introduction of hybrid motorcycles, Yamaha has not yet brought out any EV bikes that look like they can compete with gasoline-powered machines for riding range. They do have the NEOS scooter in their Euro lineup, but that (like the ebikes serviced by Enyring) is for urban use only.

The post Yamaha Starts Enyring, A Battery-Swap Company In Europe appeared first on Adventure Rider.

That means it’s time to get excited about machines released for 2025! Here are some suggestions about new bikes we might see teased in the next few months for a launch next year. They’re all based on existing platforms, and most of them would just require a re-styling job. It’s almost 100 percent probable that we’ll see at least one or two of these bikes come, and we’d like to know which ones you’d be most interested in?—Ed.

Royal Enfield will almost certainly use this 450 in other models, and a scrambler is the most sensible place to start. Photo: Royal Enfield

Royal Enfield Scram 450

Just like they did with the 410-series Himalayan, Royal Enfield will almost certainly build a scramblerized version of the new 450 platform. A bit more accessible overall—lower weight, lower seat height, lower price tag—and with flashy paint. A lot of us, even the ADV crowd, don’t need a bike that can bash through the whoops of Baja at a hundred miles an hour. We just want a lightweight, simple motorcycle that we can ride down bad roads with ease, and a Scram 450 would do that job.

Honda already makes a scrambler out of the small-bore Rebel series. Why not the Rebel 1100? Photo: Honda

Honda CL1100

Another potential scrambler introduction. Honda has a scrambler version of their 250/300 platform (not sold in North America) and the 500 platform. It would make sense to have a scrambler based off the 1100 parallel twin, maybe a sort of retro-look desert raider. Something like the Moto Guzzi V85, even? If tiny Moto Guzzi can field both a modern and retro adventure bike in its lineup, surely Honda can? However, remember the bigwigs at Big Red have their hearts set on electric motorcycles now.

The KLE500 was a popular budget-friendly adventure bike in Europe for years. How long until we see an updated version, based on Kawi’s new 450 twin? Photo: Kawasaki

Kawasaki Versys-X 500

It doesn’t look like the Versys-X 300 is ever going to be significantly updated at this point. Kawasaki obviously sees a strong market for the smaller ADV somewhere, and is going to sell it there until no longer possible. But there would still be demand for a slightly larger take on this design from Euro and North American customers. A Versys-X 500 would be a repackaged version of the Ninja 500/Z 500 platform, with the parallel twin engine that first debuted in the 2023-edition Eliminator cruiser. This bike would not be as offroad-oriented as the KLR, or even the Versys-X 300 probably. It would replace the old KLE500, a model that never came to North America but was very successful as a sensible ADV tourer in Europe.

Who wants a smaller-scale version of the Husqvarna Norden 901? Photo: Husqvarna

Husqvarna Norden 401

The Norden 901 is a lovely motorcycle, and very capable. But what if you can’t afford one, or you don’t want/need a bike that large? We have the Svartpilen and Vitpilen 401 models, basically glammed-up versions of the KTM 390 Duke. Why not a Norden 401, a restyled take on the KTM 390 Adventure? We think there would be considerable demand for such a model, but the Pierer AG marketeers do know more about that than we do.

The Harley-Davidson Pan America 1250 (seen here with SW-Motech kit) might be getting a little brother this year. Photo: SW-Motech

Harley-Davidson Pan America 975

When Harley-Davidson first announced the Pan America series, the story at that time was: Expect a 975 model to accompany the 1250. We’ve seen some leaks since that hinted the 975 was coming, but we’re still waiting. Harley-Davidson did develop this motor into the new Sportster platform, and if the bigwigs in Milwaukee see a future in the Pan Am platform you’d think they’d have to release this bike pretty much ASAP before the world moves on. We’d expect the machine to be pretty similar to the 1250, but perhaps scaled-down a bit to compensate for the smaller motor.

The post Forget 2024—Here Are Five Bikes We Expect For 2025! appeared first on Adventure Rider.

2017 Honda CB500X: The Rally Raid Experience

And here is rtwPaul’s interview with Rally Raid’s founders, in the By Inmates, For Inmates series:

Rally Raid Products

And now, for the next few weeks, Rally Raid is marking its stuff down considerably. Not the actual cost of the product, but on the shipping. Rally Raid is offering free shipping anywhere in the world until January 31. Here’s some of the info from their UK website:

This January we will be offering FREE SHIPPING on all orders over £350 GBP (or equivalent in chosen currency) to customers across the globe.

Why?

Lets face it, no one wants to pay for shipping. But the reality is sending bulky, fragile or expensive items around the world costs alot. We are using this as an opportunity to gather data to help us work towards long term free shipping for everyone.

When?

Our free shipping offer will begin at 00:00 (GMT) on the 1st of January and the offer will end at 00:00 (GMT) on the 31st of January.

Who

This is the best bit…. it applies to ANYONE worldwide when placing an order over £350 GBP  (exc VAT and and shipping) or the equivalent amount in your chosen currency. The offer will automatically enable when applicable.

Other Info
It is very important that our customers understand this change is to the shipping cost only and the existing import taxes or admin charges are still liable to be paid by the customer on or pre arrival.

If an item is out of stock, and we are expecting stock soon we will allow customer to back order some popular items so they don’t miss out on the offer.

Find more details here.

The post Inmates, Save Some Money: Rally Raid’s January Sale appeared first on Adventure Rider.

That’s because while the Eco Race starts in Europe and runs into Africa, the trucks/cars/ATVs/bikes aren’t actually competing until they get to Morocco. As per the Eco Race’s PR:

The program for this last day of the year included a free transfer between Monaco and Sète, where everyone will board on the GNV ferry. The boat will then head for Nador in northern Morocco for a 36-hour crossing of the Mediterranean Sea. After celebrating New Year’s Eve, the first day of the new year will be devoted to briefings and training on navigation and safety instruments.

The second night on board ends very early on Tuesday, January 2, with disembarkation scheduled for 6:00 am. After customs formalities and a hearty breakfast, the participants will head south to Boudnib, where the AFRICA ECO RACE caravan will take up residence, after 600 kilometers including 175 of special stages.

So, the racing starts tomorrow (January 2). You can see some footage of the opening ceremony below:

Finally, finally, the organizers have gotten around to posting the entry list for the bike category. You can see it here, but here’s the TL/DR: It appears that no Americans are riding this year, or Australians, either. There is one Canadian listed, Michael Gros for the Yamaha Tenere World Raid team.

Otherwise, the list is almost entirely French, Italian, Spanish, Dutch and so on. The Eco Race is still very much a Euro-centric event, unlike the Dakar Rally’s global appeal.  There are no Kove 450s at the Eco Race (although niche Euro bikes like AJP are represented).

See the teaser for this year’s race route below:

The post Africa Eco Race Is Underway (But They Aren’t Racing Yet) appeared first on Adventure Rider.

First off, here’s what carries over from 2023: the punchy 64-ish horsepower 689cc CP2 P-Twin with the 270-degree crank and 44 pound feet of torque, the slim steel frame, 21/18-inch wheel combo, triple disc Brembo brakes, quad-LED rally-style headlight array, and fully adjustable KYB suspension. Bodywork, colors (choose Yammie blue or gray/black) and so forth remains essentially the same as well. MSRP is $10,799 for 2024.

What’s New?

The Tenere’s off-road manners continue to inspire confidence. Photo: Yamaha

The new features largely don’t change what has been a winning recipe thus far, but are welcome nonetheless. The most noticeable new bits are the instrumentation and ABS controls. The vertical rally-style display remains, but it’s in color now instead of the black-on gray LCD screen seemingly sourced from a dusty box of gauges that had been sitting in a corner of a warehouse since sometime in the 1980s. The new display defaults to a layout called Explorer that is essentially the same as the old version but it’s now far sharper, more legible, in color and provides far more information.

The new display mode, Street (below right), switches things up considerably. Instead of the vertical tacho, a more traditional round clock sits above a rotating queue of data points, including speed, displayed in digits, along with simple fuel and temperature gauges. In between, riders can show trip meters, fuel consumption/MPG, air temperature and more. Additionally, the bike will now talk with Yamaha’s Y-Connect app on your smartyphone, and should you get a call while riding, a phone indicator appears in the display. If you get a text message or email, there’s a separate “chat” indicator for that. No, it won’t display the message. It will also show the phone’s battery level. For now, it does not appear the display will show GPS maps or direction prompts, so don’t sell that GPS just yet, and there is a mounting bar above the display for it and other gear. The app will record some ride data like speed and other metrics.

Explorer mode, left, and Street mode. Photo: William Roberson

The other big change is ABS control. Instead of on or just the rear turned off, the T7 can now run with full ABS, rear wheel off, or both wheels off. Having the ability to run with no ABS is becoming rare due to regulation; many bike makers won’t allow ABS to be completely turned off . Some will allow it to be turned down (Harley PanAm and others, for example), but not switched off. On the ’24 Tenere , you can slow and stop with your own well-honed braking skills if so desired.

ABS modes now include three options. If the ignition is turned off , it defaults to on. Photo: Yamaha

The display modes, ABS and display data points including trip meters and so forth are now controlled by a well-placed push-to-click thumb wheel on the right handlebar pod. You can change a few things while in motion (trip meters, MPG, time and such) but most major changes like display style and ABS modes have to be made while stationary. If you turn the bike off, ABS defaults back to ON when you start it back up. There are no ride modes or user mode memories.

All of the press bikes we rode were also fitted with the Tenere’s new speed shifter, a $199 option. It’s a plug-and-play bit that subs in where the stock shifter resides and then plugs directly into the wiring harness. However it only works on UP shifts, it will not speed-match revs for a downshift.

Speed shifter subs in where the analog spanner fits, and plugs into the wiring harness. Speed shifts are UP only. Photo: William Roberson

Then there are the new LED turn signals. The front signals stay on a marker lights, something I wish was almost mandatory to help drivers more easily identify motorcycles at night. As such, it seems there is only one LED in each signal instead of being cool “chaser” types that you can get in the aftermarket. Looks like it would be easy to upgrade, however.

The signals seem long for the simple (bright) dot of light they produce. But the fronts do stay on as a marker light. Photo: William Roberson

They also stick out a fair bit and seem vulnerable to snapping off in a tipover. Everyone on the press ride stayed upright so we were not able to test that theory.

On The Trail – And On The Road

Closer to the edge? Yes! Photo: Yamaha

Once we were familiar with operating the new dash, ABS and so forth, we headed east out of the city on a busy L.A. freeway (lane-splitting is fun!) and into the mountains for some quality time on long stretches of rocky, dusty jeep and service roads that were punctuated by water bars, G-outs, 180-degree switchbacks, steep descents and loose talus. In other words, the exact place the T7 is designed for, and the well-rounded Yamaha made it easy to cover ground at speed.

The typically wide lanes and cognizant drivers on California highways make lane splitting easy and fun – no joke. Photo: William Roberson

Yamaha ambassadors and former champion riders Ryan Villopto and Damon Bradshaw joined us for the ride, as did well-known long distance Iron Butt rider and MS research fundraiser Paul Pelland, better known as LongHaulPaul. Pelland is afflicted with Multiple Sclerosis but still rode his well-accessorized T7 from his New Hampshire home to Los Angeles in December – and then rode back home at the end of the event! And you think you ride a lot under all conditions (you can support LHP’s fundraising at the link). He’s trying to rack up a million miles of riding and he’s just about halfway there. Respect!

Mid-December? I must be in California. Photo: Yamaha

Villopoto and Bradshaw were kind enough to NOT set a fierce pace and it was both fun and instructive to watch them blast around during photo passes, catching big air and spraying gravel with the T7 in places some of us riders tip-toed through with gritted teeth. But their amazing skills did prod me to be more aggressive, and the T7 responded with composure and control as I experimented.

Photo: William Roberson

One thing that fortunately has not changed on the T7: That almost electric-like CP2 twin, which seems content to chug the T7 out of trouble at low revs without complaint if you miss a downshift, but also blast down the interstate at triple digits with nary a buzz through through the bars. Great motor. And it still got great gas mileage (usually 50 mpg or better) despite many trips to redline and the throttle stop.

Photo: Yamaha

Somehow, I stayed upright despite a quicker pace and more sliding of the back wheel. We were on the OEM stock Pirelli Scorpion Rally STR tires that are less aggressive than DOT-spec knobbies, but on balance, the STRs were unexpectedly effective off pavement and confidence-inspiring when we wicked up the pace heading back into LA on the twisting two-lane Ortega Highway.

As a heavier, 200-pound plus rider, I fiddled with preload a bit before we headed off pavement and despite some good smacks into water bar berms and big rocks—and even a bit of air off some of the larger water bars when I dared—I never felt the suspension bottom and I always felt in control, including as I pushed harder than (my) normal in some sections. Despite a number of years riding dual-sport and adventure bikes, I still have a lot to learn about off-pavement riding.

Photo: Yamaha

It’s difficult to unbind my street riding reflexes when off pavement, especially in a tense situation but I’m learning, slowly, and the T7 has been the bike that’s been most instructive, outside of my seemingly unbreakable DR650. If you’re looking for an ADV mount to learn on and grow into but not out of, it’s tough to find something better than the Tenere 700.

Observations

My chunky but lovable DR650 is coming up on 30 years old, and it still runs like a champ and fits me well. But lately I’ve been thinking seriously of upgrading (or adding to the fleet, if the wife will sign off on that). I’m not getting any younger, and whenever Yamaha has a T7 event, I’m keen to attend as the Tenere 700 just seems to have that magic mix of capability, comfort and controllability. It has just the right amount of power, and I say that having ridden a Husky Norden 901, Triumph 1200 Tiger Rally Pro, KTM 390, Toureg 660, 525 EXC, Honda XR650L and many other dual-sports and adventure rigs ranging from 250 cc on up.

Easy to ride slow or fast, the CP2 motor doesn’t mind being spun or lugged. Photo: Yamaha

But when I compare, I just keep coming back to the Tenere 700. In a world where we’ve been conditioned to think that more horsepower is always better, there is that Venn diagram of performance and usability, and once again, the 2024 Yamaha Tenere 700 sits in that sweet spot. Plus, there’s the adjustable suspension as stock, the simple operation, proven power plant and now the new ABS controls, speed shifter and display options. With these seemingly minor but highly useful upgrades, I’m seriously tempted to pull the trigger on a new Tenere 700.

Do I have complaints? Despite being an old-school analog rider, like many others I’ve been spoiled by “ride modes” on other bikes that instantly switch up performance and response parameters, and the T7 still has exactly one mode: Go Ride. Nothing wrong with that, but being able to thumb a quick switch from off-road to pavement (or rain) modes is… nice. A bit less weight would be nice as well, but that can be had with some titanium this and carbon fiber that if it’s a serious concern, and for me it’s really more of a wish or want than a deal breaker.

It doesn’t look any different than the 2023 model, but the small tweaks we definite positives. Photo: William Roberson

And I have to admit, two other bikes do have me holding back on a final decision. Following my trip to EICMA in November, I am very curious about the reborn Honda Transalp and the new Royal Enfield Himalayan 450. I’ve owned many Hondas (and still do) and the prospect of a bit more poke, some ride modes and maybe a smidge more comfort is appealing to me, as is the $9,999 price. I’ve ridden long-haul road bikes and sport bikes most of my 40-year riding career, and the Transalp seems like it might skew a bit more to highway mile eater as stock – but might also be a capable overlanding and off-road explorer with some specific upgrades. The flip side of the Transalp’s arrival and apparent early popularity is whether it will prompt Yamaha to either upgrade the North American market T7 bikes to better compete in 2025—or even bring in some of those six tasty Euro-spec variants we all lust after here in the States. If that happens, I’m in a tough (but welcome) spot!

Rolling into LA in that late-day California sunset light. Photo: William Roberson

Conversely, watching Itchy Boots pilot the new Royal Enfield 450 through its namesake Himalayans makes my old Boy Scout merit badges vibrate, and I wonder if maybe a light, six-speed, more off-road focused mountain goat of a bike that can still get down the highway in decent comfort is the better choice. But are either better overall than the seemingly pitch-perfect Tenere 700? As ADV riders, we are living in a golden age of great choices, and once I get some seat time on both of the those other options, I’ll have to make a difficult choice, barring a winning lottery ticket.

At least I know that if I do end up choosing the Tenere 700, I’ll be pretty happy riding it most anywhere.

Gearbox:

Helmet: Shoei X2 Hornet Sovereign

Jacket: Tourmaster Mariner

Pants: Tourmaster Mariner

Boots: TCX Infiniti Mids

Gloves: Tour Master Synergy Pro-Plus and Adventure Spec Dirt Gloves

Googles: Rocky Mountain VSN 2.0

Comms: Sena 50C with 4K camera

Underlayers: SA1NT Engineer pants with CE 1 armor

Sunglasses: Tifosi

The post 2024 Yamaha Tenere 700 Is More Of The Same – But Better appeared first on Adventure Rider.

I think most of us end up making New Year’s resolutions because we know we can do better. Author John R. Dallas Jr. says “Each year’s regrets are envelopes in which messages of hope are found for the New Year.” Leave aside the considerations that you’re overweight, weak, lazy and fighting with your in-laws—if you think about your last year on two wheels, I suspect you have something you regret.

Maybe you had a dumb crash.

Maybe you delayed a repair project.

Maybe you saw a bike you wanted to buy, but didn’t (or couldn’t).

Maybe you gave up riding, and you miss it.

Maybe, at the start of the year, you said this was it—the year you’d take the trip, have the grand adventure, and you didn’t.

Was 2023 a disappointing year? Did you miss out on the trip you planned? I planned to ride to Cape Breton and also restore my blown-up DR650 (Seen here). Neither happened! Photo: Zac Kurylyk

Now is the time to look at that regret and do something about it. It starts with a resolution, a plan, but you need to do more than just plan. You need to start forward progress as soon as possible. If you’ll need two weeks’ vacation to do that BDR, then book it as soon as you get back to the office. If you want to improve your riding skills, book that training course now! If you want to travel overseas, start shopping flight deals and price-comparing rentals or tours.

You’ll need to get started now, because modern life is so busy that other things will replace your moto-fun if you let them.

One piece of advice that I’ve learned over the years—if you really want to accomplish some sort of moto-goal, make sure you are OK to follow through on it without anyone else’s participation. In other words, determine that you will do the Dalton Highway, not that you and your buddies will do the Dalton. Only you can devote the focus and energy to make sure your plans come to fruition. A few years back, I had good riding buddies tell me yeah, they’d do the Trans-Labrador Highway next year, this year just wasn’t possible—and then COVID-19 kept us all home. I was very glad I’d made the trip when I could, even though that meant I’d had to ride alone. You’ll be in the same boat unless you see yourself as the master of your own moto-destiny, no matter what others do.

You, and only you, will have the desire to follow through on the goals you set for yourself. Want to ride to Panama? Make a plan that does not require your riding buddies to come along as well. Plan your own life and your own ride. Photo: Zac Kurylyk

I suppose I am being a bit hypocritical here, though, as I have no big plans of my own for this year. I have been wanting to do the new Cabot Trail Adventure/Dual Sport Route, but I ran out of time the last two years and I expect I’ll run out of time this year. I have a plan to start a new mini-ADV/dual sport mapping project of my own through the province of Prince Edward Island, but that will only happen as it fits around the edges of family and work life. I want to return to Newfoundland for 8-10 days of adventure riding, but lining up the details will be tricky. And at some point, I want to make another stab at the James Bay run that I failed on last year due to forest fires… and I have an outstanding invitation to go ride the interior mountains of British Columbia, and I’ve been wanting to do some of the ADVrider rallies for some time now.

I honestly realize I can’t do it all, and neither can you. But even if I can’t go on all the trips I’d like, I will start working towards at least one or two of them this week. If they don’t work out, it will almost certainly be because some other opportunity arose, and I’ll take advantage of that instead. Calvin said to Hobbes in the last daily episode of their newspaper comic strip, “I’m resolving to just wing it and see what happens.” I don’t want to be that slack; I want to make a plan, but I also realize I need to be ready to adapt. Because of my work, and because I am a family man with kids, and because we live in a crazy world, I do not pretend that I can make a New Year’s moto-resolution and accomplish it with 100 percent certainty. But I do know that I’ll almost certainly have the chance to ride to beautiful places on new bikes, to visit old friends on two-wheels and meet new friends. However those chances present themselves, I want to take them, and I think you should too.

Happy New Years Day! And if you have a resolution of your own this year, tell us below!

The post Do You Have New Year’s Motorcycle Resolutions? appeared first on Adventure Rider.

Skimming through hundreds of pictures submitted in 2023, we found ourselves stopping and admiring individuals many times. Some photos were startling in their intensity or subject matter, some were funny, some were examples of thoughtful composition and others were brilliant in their use of light.

But what IS a good photograph? Newspaper and magazine editors have struggled with the concept for decades, and the precise definition is elusive. It should catch the eye, sure, but it should also say something about the subject of the moment, and say it in a unique way. For us at ADVrider, it came down to three functions: it should be beautiful, it should tell us something about adventuring aboard a motorcycle, and it should teach us a little geography, or maybe geology.

We started with those criteria, and then added a couple more: it should have a motorcycle in the frame, somewhere, and it should not be a selfie, not something shot with a phone using its back-side camera. And with those rules laid out, we started selecting pictures from the past year of POTW. The title shot, by @PvtPts, appeared in the March 3 edition of Photos of the Week, and we selected it because it stood out brilliantly against the other photos, and also against the land and sky masses around it. @PvtPts shot the pic in October 2022 on a dual sport ride in Utah, on a trail named M&M, a location suggested by a park ranger on a Husqvarna. In this shot, you get a sense of the vastness of Utah’s landscape, and you get the light, captured in that brilliant red dirt and those dark-bottomed clouds spreading across a wonderful blue sky.

The winning shot is, of course, not the only really good photograph submitted to ADVrider in 2023, and may not even be the best—it’s simply the photo that we chose after blurring our vision across hundreds of pictures. We think it’s a standout, but you may have your own opinions about the photos in this part of ADVrider’s site. What do you think? Let us know if you agree with us, or if you like one of the following images better.

We picked out 12 photographs and from those we did our best to select a winner. You might like another among this group, or even a POTW photo that you spotted some time in the past year that we didn’t select, for whatever reason. And please let us be clear about one thing: if a photo didn’t make it onto this list, that does not mean it isn’t a very good picture; it just means we didn’t select it, and we are not perfect judges, so if you think the best photo of the year lies elsewhere in these pages, you might be right. Let us know what you think!

Here are the other 11 pictures we struggled to choose from.

From @boozewz, a shot taken in Saudi Arabia on a seven-day off-road tour. This photo appeared in the Feb. 10 POTW.

From @Gemel, a shot taken in 2022 on a three-week ride to Napa, California.

@Gladdy_moto submitted the following shot, taken on a Sunday ride to the Crazy Mountains in Montana.

Here is one from @Lapchik, taken in Maplewood State Park in Minnesota. On the way there, he had just stopped to help a small turtle make it across the road.

Here is a shot from @Out4adv, taken in France while riding the cols.

 

 

Below, a shot from @Peter640, taken recently in the Italian Alps.

The post Pic Of The Year: The Best Of POTW, 2023 appeared first on Adventure Rider.

Truly the pinnacle of all brain-busters, we see a bit of a tricky puzzle this week, although we must admit is not to the standard of Will Shortz or even Eugene Sheffer. But hey, nobody’s perfect.

Some of the names and brands in this week’s puzzle are a bit obscure; there are no Sportsters or KLRs here. But most of you should be able to do reasonably well, if you’re keen about motorcycles.

The crossword puzzle will give you a clue as to the motorcycle model’s name, and its manufacturer. Remember that sometimes more than one manufacturer can use a model name! Once you’re done the quiz, let us know how you did in the comments section below.  And once you are done or stuck, you can scroll down to the very bottom of the page for the correct answers. Enjoy!

Answers To Name These Motorcycle Models #2.

The post And Now For Something Completely Different: A Crossword! appeared first on Adventure Rider.

It’s easy to be swept along by the current of discontent. Especially when the byword of our age is intolerance. Societally, we’ve lost the ability to maintain differing views of a subject and yet remain respectful of those whose views don’t match ours. Whether it be in exchanges with colleagues, family, or those with which we share our views online. Negativity rules. And we’re all the lesser for it.

I have an old friend, Karen, the only fellow student from my high-school days I keep in touch with. We are very different people. We’ve lived very different lives. Karen believes in God. Me, not so much. And yet what fun it was a few weeks ago to go with her and her husband Darryl to their little country church. I hadn’t been in a church—aside from weddings—since I was bold enough to confront my mother at age 13 and tell her I was an atheist. That got her attention. And that was the point at which I was released from what I viewed as my Sunday morning misery.

When Karen and Darryl were readying for church, I’d expected that my 18-year-old daughter and I would head back to the city. Yet it was my daughter who said “Dad, let’s go to church.” And I’m glad we did. We stood together with my friends and belted out hymns. We weren’t mocking. Far from it. To me it was a sign of love and respect to share something with people who mean so much to me.

Last winter I had drinks with Zac Kurylyk, the man who runs things around here. After an evening of beer and bullshitting, it was obvious we got along well. It was also obvious that our views of things differed. But how wonderful it was to feel both of us deftly steer clear of topics that would be dead ends. What mattered was respect and friendship. The rest is irrelevant.

Expectation is the thief of joy. And our expectations are all out of whack. We want $5,500 motorcycles that weigh 230 pounds, that cruise effortlessly two-up with luggage at 100 mph, that return 65 miles-per-gallon, and that self-clean. Like an oven. (Now there’s an accessory I could stand behind.) Back to this idea of expectation. And this contradiction: the better bikes have become, the more we expect from them. Indeed, perhaps a degree of dissatisfaction is a human constant. A human default. A human necessity. If we didn’t become dissatisfied, would the relentless cycle of innovation come to an end? Would we still be driving around in Model T Fords and riding eight-horsepower Indian twins with leaf-sprung forks and solid tail ends?

As motorcyclists, and as people living in a time of tumultuous change, we struggle to adapt. None of us are exempt. Nostalgia is the balm to which we turn to protect ourselves from the march of the unknown. Before the industrial revolution, societal change occurred at a glacial pace, but in the past 200 years—which in human-history time is no longer than an eye-blink, we’ve had to deal with unimaginable changes. It’s no wonder men of a certain age listen to Deep Purple instead of Black Mountain. Or Led Zeppelin over Jack White. And I don’t write this with a sneer. I’m as susceptible to the pull of nostalgia as anyone.

My ’90s Ducatis feel like straddling a chainsaw compared to a modern bike. And for reasons that remain murky to me, objects with a degree of mechanical directness appeal to me on a visceral level. I’m also aware that mechanical directness, when you get down to it, is also mechanical unsophistication. I’ve fully-appreciated too many ultra-sophisticated Japanese motorcycles to be immune to their charms. But I can’t help myself, and so my vehicles have manual transmissions, and my espresso machine is 100 pounds of pressure gauges and levers and—ugh—minute internal passageways that become plugged at the least provocation.

At a very young age, I knew I would become a motorcyclist. I had an understanding that it would become part of who I would become.  Motorcyclists are iconoclasts. We willingly welcome risk in a risk-averse world. We forsake comfort for visceral experience. But I think we’ve drifted from what motorcycling can teach us. An oblivious, entitled, unobserving motorcyclist isn’t long for this world. And yet isn’t that—as a group—what we’ve become? We blame everything from the Deep State to Chinese operatives to uncomfortable OEM seats for our displeasure. Where is the outsider’s perspective? How did we become so banal? So easily led. So utterly predictable?

Here’s what I’m doing about my role in the malaise. In the past year, I’ve reconnected with many old motorcycling friends I’d drifted from. To a person, I was welcomed back in as if I’d never been away. It was as if each one had been expecting my call. And this, truly, is motorcycling. It’s not the bikes we ride and it’s certainly not the fears we have that someone or something is going to come along a take it away from us. The only people who can put motorcycling at risk is us. By our intolerance. By our rash judgments of others. It’s time for us to expect more from ourselves and from each other.

Best wishes for an invigorating 2024.

The post The Age of Discontent appeared first on Adventure Rider.

Of course you can buy second-hand gear that was already cheap when it was new, on eBay or your local junk market for a pittance. But selah, don’t keep boring the rest of us with your triumph (not Triumph) of self-punishing descent into voluntary tawdriness. Two clichés apply here with all their aggregated power: “you’ll remember the quality long after you’ve forgotten the price”, and “you get what you pay for”. Yes, they’re clichés but like most of their tribe they carry more than a little truth.

This stubborn admission of dreary, tasteless—and senseless, because the rubbish you buy will usually last no longer than you would expect it to—searching for the lowest quality in consumer goods actually reflects a serious social trend.

Beginning in the late 1970s , there has been a concerted effort to depress worker’s wages in the United States. The people you probably think of as the “elite” have done their best to reduce manufacturing costs so that US-made products could continue to compete with the goods flowing from the considerably more efficient German and Japanese factories—this is well before China became the competitor du jour. If you’re a worker, capitalism is not your friend.

When your parents, who were still earning a decent wage, went out to buy things they usually chose good, well-made and high-quality products which improved their environment. With the reduced purchasing power you have, you buy the opposite (poor, badly-made and low quality just in case you are having trouble following this) because you buy on price. Your Mom would never have had that cheap, ugly tinplate toaster in the house.

Keep in mind that your race to the bottom is not inevitable. If you don’t have  a lot of money, don’t buy cheap rubbish. Buy fewer things but buy good ones. Sounds simple, but few people seem to be able to grasp it. They’d rather grasp a suitcase full of nylon.

Perhaps we need to revive the spirit of the early days of unions and some of the larger-then-life personalities like Joe Hill. Ah, perhaps you don’t know who Joe Hill was. Look him up. His story is as important as it ever was, even though America’s workers were either brutalised (Joe Hill was executed on trumped-up charges) or, later and only for a while, bought off. Today, things are not so different from the early days of unionism. Many workers can once again not make a decent living from one job.

“We should definitely have bought better quality bicycles.”

But complaining is pointless. Complaining is a sign of weakness. Buy the things you really need and buy quality, which will last you far longer and save you money in the long run over that second-had bit of tatt from eBay. And pass the message on; it is possible to be proud of the things you buy and use, for reasons other than getting them for a pathetic few cents less. Keep in mind that the price of an item also reflects the pay that goes to the workers who produce it. As well, while I’d be the last one in the room to defend the profits extorted today, capital can’t be free either or the retirees around the nation would not make their savings available to entrepreneurs. And then they couldn’t buy Harley-Davidsons.

Just in case you now think that paying more buys you class as well, like lashing out on that Birkin bag from Hermes to carry your beers (I was wrong about the top price, by the way, it was US$450,000 and that was for a used bag), don’t get carried away yourself. Kim Kardashian owns 30 of them, and if that doesn’t tell you that money does not buy class then you aren’t paying attention. Having one, or perhaps even two or three, Birkin bags in the wardrobe is excusable as long as your children aren’t living on Maccas. Owning 30 of them, just like owning 30 motorcycles, does not confer class no matter what your children are eating.

So by no means get into conspicuous consumption, but don’t complain either and make the lives of the rest of us drearier by insisting on everybody being cheap all the time. Live the life you want to live, by all means, but try to be constructive when you write. Maybe (well, probably) you’re not Jay Leno, but you’re probably not Gregor Samsa either.

And if you are Jay Leno, enjoy your machinery!

The post Money Can’t Buy Happiness appeared first on Adventure Rider.

The Eco Race runs from Europe (Monaco) to Dakar, along a very similar route to the old Paris-Dakar Rally. No wonder, then, that it attracts competitors who might otherwise be riding the current iteration of the Dakar Rally, which takes place entirely in Saudi Arabia. Some riders have done both—so why kick off the Eco race just a few days before Dakar starts, basically running them concurrently? We asked that question when the 2023 race was postponed, and we still haven’t made sense of it.

Regardless of the weirdo timing, it seems the Eco race is doing well for itself this year. According to organizers, at least 80 riders are signed up for this year’s race, along with 45 vehicles in the SSV/Auto/Truck categories. Representatives from 30 different countries will compete, with a 550-man caravan at this year’s event. Things are looking up for the race!

Also note that we see some significant growth in the motorcycle category. Aprilia is now fielding its Tuareg 660 in the moto class, with Jacopo Cerutti and Francesco Montanari on the factory team. The Yamaha factory team returns, with Alessandro Botturi and Pol Tarres flogging their T7s across the desert, and a new man in command. Marc Bourgeois, a former racer himself, now heads the team.

Perhaps the most interesting effort will be rally raid veteran Joan Pedrero Garcia behind the handlebars of a Harley-Davidson Pan America. Also, note that Dakar legend David Casteu is at the Africa Eco Race this year with a multi-class team, fielding machines in the SSV and Moto categories.

There’s a lot going on, then! We’ll try to keep you posted on the race’s day-to-day as much as possible, although it’s always a bit challenging at the Eco Race, as it doesn’t get the same coverage as Dakar. There is a thread about the race on ADVrider’s Racing sub-forum (see here), but the inmates there face the same problem that all Eco Race fans face: Limited info from the top down. But we’ll do the best we can!

The post Africa Eco Race Starts This Weekend appeared first on Adventure Rider.

The Zontes 500T appears to be an upsized version of the company’s existing 350T adventure bike, complete with a single-cylinder engine. Wot, no P-twin? While Chinese competitor CFMoto appears ready to introduce a twin-cylinder 450, Zontes is sticking to the thumper formula. The liquid-cooled single is reportedly being imported to Europe under A2 licensing regulations, which means max output in the EU is slightly detuned from the potential of 51 hp at 8,000 rpm and 37 lb-ft of torque at 6,500 rpm.

There isn’t a lot of info floating around about this bike, although it did appear at the EICMA show in Italy last November, as seen above. However, we do know some basic details. The machine comes with a 19-inch front wheel and 17-inch rear, and the rims appear to be a tubeless spoked design. ABS is available, and therefore expect it to be standard in markets that require it. While it’s not clear if all markets get the accessories seen above as standard, they are at least going to be available from the factory—no waiting around for aftermarket support that never comes. That means you should be able to easily add crash bars and panniers; it looks like heated grips and an electrically-adjusted windshield are standard equipment, along with a five-inch TFT gauge (which implies some sort of Bluetooth connectability).

Zontes also gave the bike’s seat and gas tank a remote-unlock feature.

It’s a quite impressive spec sheet for a small-bore Chinese bike, and Euro customers will be able to buy this bike soon. Here in North America? It seems unlikely to arrive here, which is too bad—if it’s reliable, it would be an interesting competitor to the new Himalayan.

The post Zontes 500T: Modern One-Lunger ADV appeared first on Adventure Rider.

Alas, that isn’t the case. Thanks to limited resources and the ideas that Adam Smith explained in The Wealth Of Nations, most of us end up working for a living and putting some of that money into paying other people to work on our bike for us from time time. I still think most riders should learn the basic maintenance and repair tasks their bike requires: oil changes, valve adjustments, fork seal replacement and so on. But if you wrench long enough, most of us will need outside help, particularly if we have an older bike—or a problem that the dealership requires big bucks and a lot of time to address.

So, you need “a guy.” Someone with a knack for tackling specific pesky problems. Here are guys that I use; let me know if you have any suggestions of your own.

If you’re tired of the attitude, wait and cost at your local dealer, find someone who changes tires in their barn. They’ll do just as good a job for a lot less money, but you generally get much better service if you bring the wheels in already dismounted from the bike. Photo: RossHelen/Shutterstock.com

Tire Guy

Motorcyclists should be able to change out their own tires if they have spoked wheels. But if you’re on a high-power bike where balanced wheels make a much more noticeable difference, and especially if you have cast rims, you need a tire guy with a machine. Yes, your local dealership will do this job for you. No, most of them won’t do it in a timely or affordable fashion. If you don’t have your own tire changer, then you need to find someone who does, the kind of guy who will change tires for $20 a pop, and do it while you wait. As a bonus, he will probably be more careful with your rims than the jaded minimum-wagin’ teen at the local dealer.

A good welder can fix your rad or your frame, or even stretch your fuel tank to more capacity. Most of us can’t specialize in this skill, so find someone who does, and who’s willing to work for a reasonable rate. Photo: Max4e Photo/Shutterstock.com

Radiator Guy

I almost had to cancel my 2019 trip around Labrador due to holes in my WR250R’s rad. I didn’t have time to wait for a new one, and didn’t have the money for one either. Lucky me—even after all the local radiator shops turned me down, a TIG welding wizard fixed me up. The repair has held ever since. At that time, he told me he’d fixed many “curved” motorcycle rads that were prohibitively expensive to replace, or unavailable. If you find yourself in a similar jam, trying to avoid an expensive replacement radiator, look for a welding expert who’s done this sort of thing before. Of course, a good welder is also useful for other repairs, particularly to your bike’s frame or exhaust. Or maybe you need an oversized gas tank built for a bike that has none available on the aftermarket? The early days of rally raid racing and other desert riding were filled with tales of motorcyclists who got a friend to expand their fuel capacity this way.

Even if you’ve done an engine rebuild or three, having a specialist look at the valvetrain is often a good idea. They have the experience to know whether or not work is needed, and can do it quickly. Photo: GolfStandard/Shutterstock.com

Top End Guy

Working on a four-stroke engine rebuild? It’s never a bad idea to go beyond the usual piston-and-rings job and have a look at the valves as well. A real keener would have all this stuff in their shop. For the rest of us, who might only fiddle with the arcane workings of a top end a couple of times in our life, then it’s worth knowing someone who can quickly and competently work on your engine’s top end. Look for someone who has a history of success in vintage racing—they know what they’re doing.

Chances are your dyno guy won’t be in as nice a shop as this. Photo: Stockmanushots/Shutterstock.com

Dyno Guy

You can tune your bike with plug chops or Gunson Colortunes or the seat of your pants… or you can find yourself someone with a sniffer dyno and remove a lot of the guesswork from the process. This is often the same person as the Top End Guy mentioned above. Whether you’re tuning a carb’d bike or a machine with EFI, you can benefit from data from a sniffer dyno, although this is admittedly an area where many of us will see diminishing returns. Small changes mean less benefit, big changes (such as putting a carb on a big-bore Suzuki DR790) will benefit more.

Do you have “a guy” you use for specialized work on your bike? Let us know below…

The post Outside Help: Four Guys You Need To Know appeared first on Adventure Rider.

Contrary to previous reports that the bike will be a modified Ninja 1000, the H2 name is plainly visible on the back. This cleverly invokes not only the current H2’s reputation for supercharged high performance but also the chemical formula for hydrogen itself. A revised front fairing even includes an H-shaped running light surrounding the headlight to further drive this point home. The Kawasaki hydrogen H2 is a highly modified Ninja H2 SX, complete with a specially made supercharged four-cylinder engine like the original bike. Utilizing the H2’s existing supercharger technology plus direct injection makes sense to provide the much leaner fuel-to-air ratios that hydrogen requires while still producing reasonable amounts of power.

The standard luggage that comes with the SX has been replaced with hydrogen fuel tanks. This eliminates its cargo capability and even a passenger seat, but this is a prototype for testing, not a production bike. Reports vary as to how the bike is refueled. Some sources, including Webike, say there is a fuel inlet between the dual tail lights. Others, like Cycle World, say that rather than traditional refueling, hydrogen will be stored in canisters inside the saddlebags that the rider can swap themselves, rather like a SodaStream’s CO2 canisters. This seems far more likely, both from a safety perspective as well as the extremely low availability of hydrogen refueling stations.

Kawasaki has not revealed any performance numbers. Being a prototype, the bike is still very much under development, so no doubt these numbers are constantly changing. The heart of this bike, its hydrogen-burning engine, will be put to the test next month at the Dakar Rally, of all places, where it will power the Kawasaki X1 side-by-side. The motorcycle itself is expected to begin testing soon afterward.

The post Kawasaki Reveals Hydrogen-Powered H2 appeared first on Adventure Rider.

First off: The choice of rubber compound and tube will most certainly make a difference. Morris says a hard rubber compound will slightly reduce the chance of a puncture, and so will thicker tubes. Thicker tubes come with other drawbacks, as do hard tire compounds, so this is obviously a trade-off scenario. Morris also points out that while the Tubliss system or similar tube-free design doesn’t remove the chance of a puncture, it does make repair a lot easier.

And of course, tire pressure makes a huge difference, while mousse inserts will completely remove the possibility of punctures, while limiting you in other ways.

As always, Barry’s videos are based on his own hard experiences out bashing away in the woods on enduro bikes and dual sports, so watch above and maybe you can learn something that will save you a lot of misery down the road.

The post Video: How To Prevent Punctures (Or Make Them Less Of A Hassle?) appeared first on Adventure Rider.

As the world’s ever-expanding population spreads into every corner of this congested and abused planet, alone-time is increasingly important. For me, riding has become moving meditation. Only a tiny portion of the conscious mind is needed to keep the bike on the road, leaving the rest to wrestle with the problems of the day, or just wander off along its own mysterious byways. Time spent in the seat of a motorcycle, drifting along, barely even aware of one’s own thoughts, is time well spent. And that is a difficult task when you are constantly keeping an eye on your buddy on the bike in front, or watching the one in your mirror.

I understand that riding with a friend provides a level of security in case something goes wrong. Someone to help you fix that flat, to call for aid if you’re hurt, or just to share stories with at the end of an enjoyable day. I get that. I do, and have enjoyed that security and companionship on a few lengthy treks myself. But it’s so easy to find yourself riding the other person’s ride. Perhaps your companion prefers a slightly higher or lower cruising speed than you, so you’re constantly having to adjust to stay in touch. Maybe you like to thread your way through traffic, while they prefer to hang back. No matter how compatible your riding styles, there are always compromises.

Photo: Nick Adams

The pleasure I get from riding alone by far outweighs the advantages of riding with others. Why? Because there is a delicious piquancy to being out in the world entirely on your own. To set your own agenda. To rest when you are tired. To eat when you are hungry. To go wherever the road leads you. Some days I might feel like making distance, putting long hours in the saddle and only stopping when the daylight fades and my body aches. On others, I choose to dawdle, stopping to take photographs, to fiddle with action cameras, to visit places I’ve passed by countless times but never actually seen.

And camping alone, especially in places where there is the potential for wild beasts or banjo-strumming primitives, gets those nerve endings tingling and awakens our most primeval senses. Senses we have almost completely forgotten in our cossetted and risk-averse lives. A couple of years back I was asleep, naked, in my little one person tent when I was awoken by something large and grumbly knocking my tool bag off my bike and rooting around, not twenty feet from where I was lying. I had no flashlight to see with, no weapon of any sort to protect myself with, just the skin I was born in. I listened as something rumbled around, every fiber of my being on high alert. I strained, wide-eyed in the darkness to interpret sound and movement. Eventually, I realized that since I didn’t have anything with me in the tent that a hungry animal might be interested in, I relaxed and went back to sleep. In the morning I found my tank bag had been dragged fifty yards into the forest. Other than a tooth mark or two, it was undamaged. Since it hadn’t been torn to shreds, I assume it was just a raccoon and not the 600 lb black bear of my imagination. That experience, unnerving as it was, would have played out entirely differently had I not been alone. I suspect it would have been far less memorable.

If, like me, you ride an older bike, the occasional hiccup in reliability comes with the territory. I know from comments on my videos and stories that for many people, the idea of something going wrong during a motorcycle tour, especially in the middle of nowhere, is a disaster they’d rather not encounter.

Photo: Nick Adams

Experiencing a problem, troubleshooting the cause, and coming up with a fix is part of the pleasure of riding. I’m not suggesting that one deliberately sets out with an unreliable bike, hoping for a break-down (although I have been accused of that), but successfully coping with any minor problem along the way, using your own resources, makes any trip indelible.

What if I have a flat? What if I misjudge a corner or hit a patch of loose gravel? What if a bear…? The things we fear almost never occur. Most can be avoided by common sense preparation and an adjustment to our riding practices. Take tools and a repair kit. Don’t ride beyond your capabilities, especially when the road surface is loose. Don’t over-estimate your skill. No amount of technology can compensate for stupidity. Don’t take edible or smelly products in the tent with you. Simple stuff.

What if I’m lonely? What if I find the chatter inside my own head isn’t interesting? From time to time I read about people selling their motorcycles because, ‘I don’t have anyone to ride with’ and it always makes me sad. Many people never take the opportunity to find out about themselves. They inhabit a world where their own thoughts are drowned out by the constant chatter around them. Traveling alone gives you the opportunity to really explore what’s going on inside your own head. The sub-conscious can throw up all kinds of deeply buried memories and experiences. They may not all be comfortable, but they’re all yours and part of who you are.

Photo: Nick Adams

One of the reasons I enjoy traveling alone is that it becomes so easy to meet people. When you ride with a friend, or – perish the thought – in a group, you’re traveling in your own little bubble. When you stop, you’re more likely to chat with your partners than to engage with those around you. Alone, you become more accessible.

I’m a big guy, six foot two, the wrong side of two hundred pounds, and usually dressed head to foot in dusty leathers. You might think that Joe Public would shy away, but quite the opposite is true. Elderly ladies, mums-with-kids, delivery truck drivers, well-dressed suburbanites and other motorcyclists all feel empowered to launch into conversation without the slightest preamble. I used to think that because I’m usually riding my tatty old Guzzi, which even those unschooled in motorcycles can tell is old, that the bike is what inspired people to chat. But, not so. Even when I’m riding more modern machines the same holds true. As a solo motorcyclist, you’re fair game to anyone who wants to ask you where you’re heading or tell you about that old BSA they had back when they were young. I’ve had some fabulous and memorable encounters with people on the road, which probably wouldn’t have occurred had I not been on my own. And, second only to the riding itself, that’s why I relish riding alone.

The post Out On My Own appeared first on Adventure Rider.

We first told you about this different-speed-limits ideas back in October. You can read the whole story here; the important part is below. As FEMA explained the rule changes then:

The rapporteur proposes differentiated speed limits for holders of A1, A2 and A motorcycle licences. This will lead to situations where motorcyclists will be confronted with other, larger, and heavier, vehicles with higher speed limits on the same roads. We consider this a dangerous situation for already vulnerable road users and for other road users because this will lead to car drivers “pushing” (keeping to little distance to vehicles in front) motorcyclists and more overtaking manoeuvres. Furthermore, numerous studies and statistical information show that most incidents in which motorcyclists are involved, even crashes with critical ending, happen at relatively lower speeds on rural and urban roads, where speed limits are usually well below 100 km/h. Only 8% of the motorcycle fatalities occur on motorways. Lower speeds limits for certain kinds of vehicles that are allowed on all roads do not contribute to road safety and will bring extra risks for some categories of road users like younger motorcyclists. We strongly advise to reject this proposal for safety reasons.

In other words: Newer drivers would be restricted to speeds that would not allow them to keep up with traffic. Dumb, dumb, dumb, and it’s no wonder FEMA’s reaction to this (and many other bad ideas in the EU proposals) was frank criticism.

Well, months later, we now see that that idea, at least, is a no-go for now. FEMA’s latest email says the idea “fell during the vote in the Transport and Tourism Committee and will not be part of the final TRAN report.” Good. FEMA’s general secretary, Wim Taal, said this was a major victory for the EU motorcyclists’ lobby:

Different speeds for different licence holders is the most ridiculous and dangerous proposal I have heard in a long time. This would not only discourage a lot of road users to switch to powered two-wheelers, it would also put motorcyclist in an unacceptable unsafe situation. A victory like this once again proves how important it is to have strong motorcyclists’ organisations throughout Europe.

That’s 100 percent correct, and it does make you wonder how much motorcycle safety could be improved if we improved cooperation and updated the focus of the motorcycle riders’ representative organizations across North America.

Despite this win, you should note that the EU regulators are planning to make other significant changes to moto licensing—see FEMA’s list here. Major changes include mandatory testing to keep your license (done every few years), uploading your license to a smartphone for digital ID, and a two-year probationary period for beginners.

The post No “Different Speeds For Motorcyclists” Law In EU appeared first on Adventure Rider.

I am sent a lot of tools to be tested in real-world situations, and I’m asked for feedback. Some of these tools are good, and some are not. Here are a few of the good ideas, tools that are functional and work exactly as you would want them to.

Motion Pro is a great name in tools and innovation.

I was chatting with Chris Carter at a KTM rally a few years back and asked him, “Of all the tools that have come from the design room at Motion Pro ,which are you proudest of?”

He told me that the Metric Trail Side Tool Kit is his personal favorite and the favorite of a lot of riders. Packing down to the size of your palm, with a 1/4 inch and a 3/8 drive, and a few bits as standard, it’s a great design that you can make a great addition to your tank bag by adding a few extra bits and sockets.

Photo: rtwPaul

Do you want the capability of the MP tool but not the weight? Look at Engduro, an inmate-owned company that designs and makes tools with which you can do about 75 percent of bike jobs (I have one of these on every bike I own).

A little more functional out of the box than the MP, the Double Trak (top tool) combined with their soon-to-be-released Tow Wrench stripped a KTM 1290 down this far. It obviously could have gone a lot further, but is there more than this you’d take off your bike on a dirt trail?

If you haven’t seen or heard about Engduro it might be worth a few minutes of your time to check out their website, especially if you are looking to reduce the size and weight of your tools.

Photo: rtwPaul

Photo: rtwPaul

Mosko Moto, better known for luggage and riding wear, decided not to design tools but to join forces with Cruz Tools and offer their Fatty and Pinner tool rolls prepacked with a good assortment of tools to use as your base kit and to build onto.

Their two tool roll sizes are good for middleweight and heavyweight adventure bikes and like everything Mosko, are designed to last a lifetime.

Photo: rtwPaul

Photo: rtwPaul

Photo: rtwPaul

Another inmate designing a toolkit is Gordon at RRR Tools, again designed and built from scratch. His tool roll is a modular unique design, compact, and replaces over 100 tools.

Photo: rtwPaul

Closes to around the size of your hand, 6″x 4″x 2″.

Photo: rtwPaul

The only potential issue with the RRR Toolkit is the wrenches mount in the handles in a straight line, so if you have recessed fasteners this kit might not work on your bike.

Wrenches: straight, angled, and stepped – which is right for you? Photo: rtwPaul

If you are riding a lightweight bike and looking to reduce your kit to the absolute minimum, you might find it worthwhile spending some time reading a few threads and asking questions before spending your money.

The initial area to look into is the Toolkit Thread. Here you’ll find plenty of ideas, and it’s a good place to ask questions: this vs that, does anyone have a toolkit already listed for your bike? It’s potentially a money-saver for sure.

Another area to look at is the thread “Art of Packing Light,” and if those guys still seem to pack too heavy there is some good chatter about lightweight tool options in the ”Art of packing UltraLight” thread. And in case you think they don’t know what they are talking about, here is a complete toolkit one of the inmates put together.

image – rtwPaul

Take away my tire and chain tools, and we are not far away from what I carry for RTW riding, though my kit is up for revision once I get my bike back from the shipping company.

Photo: rtwPaul

Another one of my toolkits from a different bike. Engduro is becoming a key factor in making a much smaller and lighter toolkit.

Photo: rtwPaul

If making your toolkit is more your thing and you prefer sockets over wrenches, a simple way to reduce size is to find a 6″ extension and a range of 3/8 sockets with through holes; use the extension and a 1/4″ 6/7/8 mm as a cap, and nest them all together with the 1/4″ socket holding them tight.

Photo: rtwPaul

Photo: rtwPaul

A Motion Pro axle wrench with the 3/8 adaptor and an Engduro Single Trak or Double Trak loaded with bits and a 1/4″ drive for smaller jobs and you have yourself a very small tool kit.

Photo: rtwPaul

Photo: rtwPaul

Let’s see and hear about your toolkit – how it was vs how it is, and has modern technology reduced your pack size and weight?

The post Motorcycle Toolkit, Part 2: the Winners appeared first on Adventure Rider.

For 2024, Joey Savatgy, Evan Ferry and Jalek Swoll will ride the new Triumph TF250-X in American competition. Twenty-one-year-old Swoll will ride AMA Supercross in the 250SX East division. Previously, his best season was 2021, where he ended fifth overall in the 250SX West series. He bagged his first 250 class race win in Pro Motocross that season as well; he will race both the indoor and outdoor series for Triumph this year.

Nineteen-year-old Ferry will also race the 250SX East series. It’s his rookie season; he’s had success in Supercross Futures competition and at the Loretta Lynn Amateur Nationals, and now he’ll have the chance to show his capability in top-tier pro competition.

Savatgy, who may be a more familiar name to some readers, will run the Triumph 250 in Pro Motocross this season, but he is ineligible in the Supercross quarter-liter series due to his past successes there. If Triumph had a 450, he could race in that class, but they don’t—so he can’t. He’s the most experienced rider Triumph has, and he has the wins and podiums to prove he can be the fastest guy on-track. If he can repeat that magic in the Pro Motocross series this year, Triumph will be very, very happy!

Finally, the last piece of the puzzle is trainer Mike Brown, a former Pro Motocross champ himself. He seems very positive on the work done so far (although you can hardly expect a good company man to complain… ).

So far, everything is looking really good within the team with the bikes, and the riders. Everyone at Triumph Racing has been working really hard and my role is to get all three riders ready for 2024, both physically and mentally. It’s been an exciting challenge, and everything is going really well. All three riders have everything they need to run up front next year and when we start racing supercross, I think we can contend for heat race wins and shoot for the top-five in the main events.

Stay tuned, the fun starts soon!

The post Triumph Announces AMA Supercross, Motocross Team For US appeared first on Adventure Rider.