#MY2015

Back in July, MO took its show on the road to Yosemite National Park to compare the latest crop of sport touring motorcycles, and the result wasn’t that good for the 2014 Kawasaki Concours 14 ABS. Not that it’s a bad bike. Quite the opposite. The Connie is as good as it ever was, but the sport-touring class has advanced to include niceties such as cruise control, quick shifters, and electronically adjustable suspension. So, we have a great motorcycle, powered by an ass-kicking engine derived from the ZX–14R, that is languishing in the eyes of motojournalists who are always looking for what is shiny and new in a technologically evolving class. Meanwhile, Concours fans continue to be as rabid as they ever were about the bike.

The Gods of Torque looked down upon the land and saw the Star Raider muscling its way through the atmosphere – its rider clinging to the grips, vainly trying to become more aerodynamic – and they decided to help the poor mortal to better enjoy the awesome engine that their powers had wrought. By their command, salvation for the rider, in the form of a bullet cowling, descended from the heavens, magically attaching itself to the triple clamp. And all was right in the world.

Milan, Italy, hosts the world’s largest motorcycle show, EICMA, in November each year, where the latest and greatest motorbikes are on display, most of which are receiving their first public display. The Esposizione Mondiale del Motociclismo, as it’s officially called, celebrated its 100th anniversary in 2014, and I was pleased to be one of the 6,945 journalists attending the November 3-8 event.

One of the questions I’ve heard frequently asked about the Kawasaki Ninja H2 and H2R can be summed up with one word: Why? Why the H2R? It doesn’t fit the requirements of any international racing series. It’s not street legal. And why the H2? Isn’t it just a detuned H2R, designed not to break the European and Japanese manufacturers’ gentleman’s agreement of keeping streeting machinery to under 186 mph (300 kph)? As if a motorcycle we expect to make in the neighborhood of 200 horsepower and go right up to an expected software-limited top speed can be called detuned. That’s before we even consider the massive torque bump the supercharger should deliver.

Loyal MO readers will, no doubt, remember that Brough Superior had a three-month-old prototype of its SS100 on display at the  2013 EICMA show. Well, a lot has happened in the last year. Namely, Thierry Henriette, owner of Brough Superior Motorcycles SAS, says the SS100’s development has advanced to the point that he’s openly talking about assembly plant tours and product test rides. MO’s Editorial Director, Sean Alexander reports from Brough’s Eicma display that these latest prototypes are seriously impressive up-close and in the metal.

You only get to turn ten years old once, and  Triumph is celebrating a decade of the Rocket III with the Limited Edition Rocket X. How does a manufacturer commemorate ten years of producing the world’s largest displacement mass produced motorcycle? We’re glad you asked.

Yesterday,  Moto Guzzi announced a September on sale date for the 2015 Griso 1200 8V SE and the 2015 V7 Stone. Hot on the heels of  our recent test of the Griso (and just days before the publication of a shootout including the roadster), Moto Guzzi updates the Griso’s tough guy image. Additionally, Moto Guzzi’s best selling model, the V7 Stone (which just so happened to win the  HepCat TooCool Millennial Shootout just two weeks ago), also receives some updates for the new model year. In case you might be wondering how we feel about having bikes we just tested become obsolete before the paint is dry on the stories’ pixels: We’re stoked! Now, we have to test these motorcycles again.