Kawasaki Celebrates Powersports Pioneer in the U.S.

Hamawaki is the reason Kawasaki USA exists today.


Begin press release:



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Aleix Espargaró Becomes First MotoGP Rider To Use MIPS Safety System

Mips, a world leader in helmet-based safety, is proud to announce its newest member to Team Mips: Aleix Espargaró, factory rider for Aprilia Racing in MotoGP™, the premier class of motorcycle racing in the world. 


A regular in the MotoGP paddock since 2009, Aleix is an extremely experienced rider with a number of podiums and pole positions on his scorecard. 

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Church Of MO: 1997 Harley-Davidson Dyna Low Rider - Motorcycle.com

For those of you who poke fun at Harley-Davidson for not moving forward at the pace of modernity or technology, today's Church of MO will either solidify your beliefs or make you think twice about The Motor Company. Here we have Billy Bartel's review of the 1997 Harley-Davidson Dyna Low Rider.


The Dyna was one of Harley's most popular models, and Billy's primer on Dynas below is still as relevant today as it was back then. Read all about this 26-year-old Dyna, then think about where Harley is today. Tell us what you think about Harley's progress in the comments.


1997 Harley-Davidson Dyna Low Rider - Motorcycle.com

by Billy Bartels


Let's start another urban myth. A lady named Sheila Boyle once told us a story of her 1975 Super Glide. She said way back in the mid-seventies Willie G. Davidson (H-D's vice-president of styling and member of the royal family) paid a visit to her then-husband's Harley shop, Harley-Davidson West, at that time the world's largest. Allegedly, when Willie G. saw her customized Super Glide with shorter shocks, cut down seat and other custom goodies his jaw dropped. Sure enough, a year or two later the Low Rider was born.


Myth or not, in 1977 Harley-Davidson's Low Rider was introduced at Daytona Bike Week. Dubbed the FXS, it was the first of Harley's "factory customs" that would later include the Bad Boy, Road King, Fat Boy and the epic Heritage Springer. In addition to a low seat height, features on that first Low Rider included raised white lettered tires, drag bars, mag wheels, and an oft-copied two-into-one slash-cut exhaust. The bike was an instant hit, inspiring Willie G. and his staff to create even more custom models - a trend that continues today.

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Friday Forum Foraging: 2009 V-Strom 650A For Just $2500

By the time you read this, this ultra-clean 2009 Suzuki V-Strom 650 could very well be sold. If it's not, and you're looking for one, this looks to be a great buy. This example comes to us from our sister site stromtrooper.com. The V-Strom 650 needs no introduction, as it's one of the most versatile street bikes ever made. Power comes from Suzuki's workhorse – the 645cc V-Twin first seen in the SV650, with iterations of the same basic engine still in production today, 20-something years later.


Treated properly, the 650 engine will return the love, as seen in this example. With over 60,000 miles on the odometer, the owner (who also happens to be the first and only person to have ever owned this 'Strom) says the bike has seen some miles, but has also been well-maintained and should be ready to face another 60,000 miles without a hiccup.


To sweeten the pot, this 'Strom comes with a laundry list of aftermarket accessories, itself worth the $2500 asking price alone. We're talking Jesse Odyssey side cases, Givi top case, Garmin GPS, heated grips, Barkbusters, new chain and sprockets, new radiator, fresh tires, and SW Motech crash bars – just to name a few.


We've copied the original listing below, but be sure to visit the original listing at stromtrooper.com to get all the information and to contact the seller.



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Five Takeaways From Harley-Davidson's Q1 2023 Results

Harley-Davidson reported its 2023 Q1 numbers today, and the financial results were generally positive, with significant increases in motorcycle shipments, revenue, net income and earnings per share compared to the same quarter of 2022. The news wasn’t all rosy however, as retail sales were down, and LiveWire has yet to find its footing since branching into a separate brand.


There was a lot to unpack from Harley-Davidson’s Q1 presentation, but first let’s take a look at the raw numbers. 


Harley-Davidson reported $1.56 billion in revenue over the first quarter, up 21% from 2022. Retail sales were down 12%, with approximately 39,400 motorcycles sold compared to about 45,000 last year, and North American sales seeing a 17% drop. Despite the decrease in unit sales, Harley-Davidson still generated $1.3 billion from motorcycle sales, compared to $1.06 billion last year. 


Overall, Harley-Davidson Inc. reported $1.79 billion in revenue (up 20% from 2022), and an operating income of $370 million (up 28%). Total net income rose 37% to $304 million from the $223 million reported in the first quarter last year.


Delving deeper into the numbers, and listening to comments from the company’s executives such as President and Chief Executive Officer Jochen Zeitz, here are five important takeaways from Harley-Davidson’s Q1 presentation.

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Putting Dunlop’s Q5 Trackday Tire Through The Ultimate Test

When Dunlop released the Sportmax Q5, and its Q5S sister tire, I was skeptical. To get straight to the point, I wasn’t a big fan of the previous Q4 tire. Yes it warmed up quickly, but it also wore quickly and didn’t have enough edge grip to feel confident on the throttle on a powerful 1000cc-plus bike. Dunlop addressed a lot of the Q4’s shortcomings with the Q5, and after a day sampling the Q5 and Q5S, I came away impressed with the new tire. But that was just an initial impression. I was still skeptical about the tire over the long haul. How quickly does it wear? How does it behave once it’s worn? How much life can I really expect out of these tires? And are they really worth it?

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2023 Harley-Davidson CVO Road Glide and CVO Street Glide Confirmed

Harley-Davidson officially announced it will reveal new CVO Street Glide and CVO Road Glide models for 2023, confirming many of the details we've previously uncovered. These include a new Milwaukee-Eight VVT 121 engine, new suspension, a new infotainment system, and dramatically redesigned fairings that have already drawn strong reactions from the Harley faithful. While we will have to wait until June 7 for more information, here's what we know for certain.

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2023 Royal Enfield Hunter 350 Review – First Ride

Being a motorcycle publication, Motorcycle.com largely caters to enthusiast readers. However, for every enthusiast there was once a potential rider who was curious about motorcycles.

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2024 Kawasaki Eliminator 450 Certified by CARB

Last month, Kawasaki announced a new Eliminator for Asian markets, a 398cc model that essentially serves as a smaller Vulcan S. Equipped with a version of the Ninja 400's Parallel-Twin engine, the Eliminator looks to be a potential rival to the Honda Rebel 500. While we were waiting to hear whether Kawasaki would import it to the U.S., we've uncovered evidence that the Eliminator will be coming as a 2024 model, and with a larger engine to boot.

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Six Exciting Ride Routes To The Harley-Davidson Homecoming

Routes From Every Corner of North America Guide Motorcyclists to Milwaukee

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2023 Brough Superior Nefud Review

It’s exactly ten years on since the born-again Brough Superior brand’s first all-new model, a modern take on the legendary SS100 launched 100 years ago this year as the world’s first street-legal Superbike, was unveiled at the 2013 EICMA Milan Show.

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The SMT Is Back: Say Hello To The 2023 KTM 890 SMT

Supermoto Touring? Of course!

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More Leaked Photos of the New Harley-Davidson CVO Street Glide

Official images appear in Australian certification filings

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Friday Forum Foraging: 1998 Honda Valkyrie – Mechanic's Special!

Even when I'm not on the hunt for something, I like the thrill of finding a (potentially) good deal. What we have here could possibly be that bike. This 1998 Honda Valkyrie comes to us from our sister site/forum F6CForum.com, where for the measly sum of $2500 US dollars, you could walk away with this mostly complete Valkyrie with less than 4,000 miles on the clock.


I say mostly because the bike doesn't run. It looks like the owner pulled the starter from the mighty six-cylinder, and they suspect that maybe the rear engine case needs replacing. This could be a simple fix to get back on the road or it could be something more involved, but for $2500, it could be an awesome deal if you're handy with a wrench and a Valkyrie service manual.


Check out the ad below:


I just purchased this 1998 Valkyrie from the original owner. 3,760 original miles and has been off the road since 2006. The bike was always garaged and the owner said it never saw rain. I was told it only needs a starter. So i pulled the starter today and i think it hydrolocked and needs a rear engine case.


I think this is too much for me to tackle so i am putting it up for sale here. Comes with original bill of sale, owners manual and other paperwork from when new.


The bike is complete and in great condition, except for the issue with the engine case/starter. It is too nice to part out and should be fixed, hopefully by someone other than myself.


I am asking $2500 and am taking a big loss on this bike but my garage is small and the bike is taking up a lot of room.

The bike is located in Nassau County, NY


Please let me know if you have any questions,


See the full ad at F6CForum.com.

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Best Motorcycle Brake Pads

Slow your roll.

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Why the CFMOTO 450SS Delivers More Than Any Other Sub-500cc Sportbike

Getting out on the open road on a motorcycle is a lot of fun. For those looking for a package made for quick handling and thrilling rides, sportbikes fill that role and look really good doing it. These styles of motorcycles are great for getting through tight traffic and commuting around town, as well as for hitting the open road in search of open air and the occasional twisty canyon.


For riders looking for a sweet, value-packed sport bike, the CFMOTO 450SS is one that deserves a serious look. Not only is this a great looking bike, with an even better looking price tag, but this bike also offers ridiculous power for a bike in this class. Now that I have your attention, read on to learn more.


Powerplant

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