#NakedBike

Yamaha today announced the latest addition to its Hyper Naked lineup, the 2020 Yamaha MT-03. The announcement of a new, baby MT to round out the family really shouldn’t be surprising to anyone who’s taken a close look at the company’s three current offerings – the MT-10, MT-09, and MT-07. Providing an entry-level MT model opens up the possibilities of a rider entering, and staying, within the Yamaha family as they progress up the riding ladder.

During our time in and around Palm Springs, CA, we had the chance to test not only the CBR650R, but also Honda’s new naked, the CB650R. The naked 650R shares many of the same functional components from the fully faired 650, but along with its aluminum handlebar, it has attitude and handling all its own.

Say what you will about Chinese motorcycles; in most cases the MO team would probably agree with you. When your core market is the Asian continent simply looking for cheap transportation, as a manufacturer you stamp out cheap motorcycles by the truckful to meet the demand. Transport nearly any of those motorcycles to the U.S. – where the expectations are entirely different from the Asian market – and we’re going to be severely let down. Moral of the story: a cheap bike is a cheap bike.

As the rain made its way between my mismatched waterproof motorcycle gear and we climbed in elevation through southern Spain’s pristine backroads, I thought to myself, there still isn’t anywhere I would rather be at this moment than atop the 2018 Yamaha MT-07 in the Spanish countryside.

Every once in awhile we get opened-end motorcycle loan agreements from manufacturers. What does that mean for you? It means we have a chance to really put a motorcycle through the ringer. We have the time to schedule overnight, long rides. We have the time to schedule track days. We have the time to really live with a motorcycle and give our best interpretation of what it would be like for a potential owner to, well, actually own the thing.

When Aprilia invited Motorcycle.com to the press introduction for the 2018 Shiver 900 first ride, I thought, hadn’t that model been announced at EICMA 2016 as an upcoming 2017 model? If so, the model had been selling for a while already, right? It had. But as is typical, those lucky Europeans got it first and we had to wait. After the bikes made their journey across the ocean, braving Hurricane Harvey, and worse yet, meeting homologation, the new 900s arrived state-side. A few weeks later, the introduction of the new 2018 Aprilia Shiver 900 would commence.

Technically, the Kawasaki Z900 made its debut at Intermot, but information was still preliminary at the time, with the caveat that final details would be released at EICMA 2016. Well, EICMA 2016 has arrived and, as far as we can tell after reading Kawasaki’s press materials, the Z900 hasn’t changed since its debut in Germany – save for a seat height that’s changed by one whole millimeter.

With EBR’s recent trademark filing for the name Black Lightning, we’re waiting in anticipation to see what Erik Buell will bring to us next. However, while we await the Black Lightning, let’s go back in time and visit one of Buell’s earlier cult hits, and possibly the grandfather to the Black Lightning: the S1 Lightning. The MO staff dubbed the bike “ Buell’s Monster” and even called it “The most radical motorcycle yet from the Buell Motor Company.” With its hopped up Sportster 1200 engine housed inside a sporting package far removed from the cruiser the 1200 V-Twin was originally intended for, the S1 was a radical bike then and remains a cult classic today. Read on to see what the early MOron crew thought of the bike. 

I’ll admit, I didn’t know Moto Morini was still in business. However, after a quick Google search, the company has a website that appears to be up-to-date, with five models. Unfortunately, none of them are coming to the U.S. Hence why I forgot about the marque. In 2008, though, contributor Yossef Schvetz hopped aboard the Moto Morini Corsari, in a review for the then-revived company. With a 1200cc V-Twin stuffed into a naked bike chassis, it appears that maybe MM should reconsider its decision not to bring bikes to America. This category seems to be all the rage these days (and the topic of a MO six bike shootout to come in a few days…). Read on to find out more about the Corsaro and Moto Morini. -TS

Could it be that the Yamaha XJ6 and XJ6 Diversion were just slightly ahead of their time? Naked middleweights are making what appears to be a comeback in the form of Yamaha’s FZ-07 and Suzuki’s new SV650, but in this week’s Church feature, we take a look at a bike that could be considered the predecessor to the FZ-07 – the Yamaha XJ6 (and its half-faired sibling, the XJ6 Diversion). Two bikes that never made it to America, assuming you don’t count the XJ6’s slightly different cousin, the FZ6R. Here, our European Correspondent, Tor Sagen, takes the XJ6 for a spin and tells us all about it. As usual, for more pics, be sure to visit the photo gallery.

Yamaha has confirmed specs and pricing for the MT-10 streetfighter slated to go into production later this year. The MT-10 has generated a lot of buzz since its debut at EICMA 2015, with both fans and detractors either singing its praises or criticizing its outlandish looks.

With BMW’s announcement that it will be producing a small-displacement, single-cylinder motorcycle – the G310R – aimed at newer riders and available come the latter stages of 2016, the German marque has signaled to everyone that it’s aiming at world domination. And if you’re familiar with South Park or internet memes, I’m imagining the plan goes a little something like this:

Bimota calls its new Impeto, introduced at EICMA 2015, a Hyper-Naked. We don’t know when all these specialized categories for motorcycles is going to stop, but from the sound of it, here’s hoping Hyper-Naked catches on.

The Suzuki Bandit has been a staple in the company’s lineup for some time. From the 600, to the 650, then the 1200 and lastly the 1250, Bandits were unique in that they were surprisingly capable of handling daily commuting duties, yet were remarkably uninspiring overall. Still, if that’s the worst we can say about the Suzuki Bandit 1250 ABS all these years later, then Suzuki succeeded in producing a solid jack-of-all-trades street motorcycle. Here, we visit with MO’s European Correspondent, Tor Sagen, to get his thoughts on the then-new Bandit 1250 ABS for this week’s Church feature. Also, be sure to check the photo gallery for more Bandit 1250 ABS pictures.

Our man Yossef is at it again. This time, he’s testing the not-sent-to-America Honda CBF1000 of 2007 vintage. In Europe, anyway, middleweight naked bikes were experiencing success. Bikes like the Yamaha FZ-6, Suzuki GSR600, and even Honda’s own Hornet were popular items. So, it seemed like a liter-class version of the same models were a natural progression in popularity. Especially since, in the case of the CBF1000, its CBR1000RR-based engine was plentiful. As competent as the CBF1000 was, as Yossef explains, it doesn’t quite strike a chord the same way Yamaha’s FZ1 – or even Kawasaki’s Z1000 – was able to do. Maybe that’s why the bike never came to this side of the pond. Read on to see Yossef’s full breakdown of  the 2007 Honda CBF1000.