#Cruiser

German website Motorrad has published a photograph of what appears to be a BMW bagger powered by a large Boxer engine has been spotted undergoing tests on public roads. The engine is believed to be based on the prototype “R18” engine that BMW showcased in December in the one-off “Departed” concept by Japanese builder Custom Works Zon (pictured above).

A new Triumph Rocket III has been spotted by spy photographers, revealing substantial changes to the British manufacturer’s mammoth cruiser. The current Rocket III has been around in various forms since 2004, and though it is still available in North America, the bike was dropped in Europe due to Euro4 restrictions. It doesn’t look like we’ll have to wait very long for its replacement as the bike pictured here looks close to being production ready.

Indian has filed an application with the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office to reserve the name “Indian Renegade” for use on “motorcycles and structural parts therefor.” The filing follows another trademark application submitted last month for “ Indian Raven“, giving us two potential names for future Indian models.

Okay, right, we already had this discussion about whether a bike not powered by a rumbly big  V-twin qualifies as a “Bagger” shortly before the K1600B blew everybody’s doors off in our Big Dam Tour last February. Instead of a big V-twin, this one’s got BMW’s 1649cc inline-Six, which not only out-torques all the big Twins – 106 lb-ft at 5200 rpm – it also demolishes them in the horsepower department: 132 hp at 8000 rpm is 57 more than the best-bagger runner-up’s 75. Yeah, but it lacks character, some say. Blow me, is the proper retort. Character schmaracter.

We convened in Minneapolis, MN (interesting choice) as Harley-Davidson introduced its 2019 touring line. I had the chance to spend two days swapping between models as we po-ta-toe, po-ta-toed our way from that other cruiser brand’s hometown to Harley-Davidson’s 115th-anniversary celebration in Milwaukee, joining thousands of die-hard H-D enthusiasts from all over the globe.

A drag racer crossed with a fighter jet. That’s the claim. That’s some pretty serious marketing-speak coming from our friends in Milwaukee. The FXDR 114 is something like a mashup between the Motor Co.’s dearly departed Dyna and V-Rod model lines. A brutish power cruiser that can still thrill when the going gets twisty. How does it hold up to those claims? Well, we went to Harley-Davidson’s hometown to find out.

Earlier this month, Harley-Davidson announced plans to take the company in some new and somewhat surprising ways. We’ll have to wait a little longer to see the products of this new direction, such as electric LiveWire and Pan America 1250 adventure bike, but in the meantime, and perhaps to ease the transition for more traditional Harley riders, we have the new 2019 Harley-Davidson FXDR 114 power cruiser.

Harley-Davidson today announced its net income for Q2 2018 at $242.3 million, a drop of 6.4% compared to this time last year. The news comes on the heels of the European Union’s announcement earlier this year that it would be imposing tariffs on certain U.S. products – Harley-Davidsons included – in retaliation for President Trump’s tariffs on imported steel and aluminum. Harley-Davidson also reports revenue at $1.71 billion, down 2.9%.

Last week, Motorcycle.com was first to break the news of trademark filings for “ Harley-Davidson Bronx.” Today, we can report on two more trademarks we believe were also filed for Harley-Davidson: “48X” and “Pan America.” UPDATE: further filings with the UK’s trademark office confirm these names were filed by Harley-Davidson.

Bruiser cruisers: the name pretty much says it all. These bikes combine the best performance that cruisers offer and wrap it in a package dripping with attitude to spare. For this comparison, we decided to stick with the V-Twin engine configuration. Why? Because the V-Twin is the just about the official engine configuration of cruiserdom – that and the fact that no Yamaha V-Max was available for testing. So, for this test we have the 2018 Ducati XDiavel facing off against the new for 2018 Harley-Davidson Fat Bob. Both of these bikes have eye-catching good looks that exude function as well as style.

Triumph revealed its new Speedmaster, a modern British cruiser that shares many similarities with the Bonneville Bobber but with more practical versatility. The 2018 Triumph Bonneville Speedmaster is targeted for those who like the Bonneville T120 but want more touring capability and cruiser styling or a Bonneville Bobber but want seating for a passenger.

Triumph will reveal a new Speedmaster on Oct. 3, adding a cruiser to its Bonneville family. A teaser video announced Triumph’s “new British Classic Custom Icon,” offering a few furtive looks at the new Bonneville Speedmaster.

Yamaha Motor Corporation, USA introduced a new “Journey Further” video today that foreshadows the introduction of a new touring motorcycle that will be unveiled on September 6, 2017, at 7:30 a.m. PDT on the company’s website.

What’s a “bagger” anyway? I may not have been aware of the term as it applies to motorcycles until I saw a copy of Baggers on the newsstand, back when we had those (newsstands). They really were the rage there for a while and maybe still are. I mean, what’s better for the average Joe America Motorcyclist than a hot-rod Harley with integrated hard bags to transport your stuff in? A bike with a windshield you can go places on but still be cool, man. Especially if you can crank up a little Molly Hatchet en route. Hot mamas in bikinis will be lining up to pose on your bike for photography.

When Harley-Davidson released its updated 2017 touring line with the new Milwaukee-Eight engine, it didn’t take any insider information to figure out that the new powerplant would eventually propel all of Harley’s Big Twins. Well, that time has arrived with the announcement of the Motor Company’s 2018 model lineup. While the engine upgrade itself isn’t much of a surprise, the way HD chose to craft an all-new Big Twin chassis around the Milwaukee-Eight is huge news. We’ll let Paul James, Manager, Product Portfolio for Harley-Davidson explain: