This follows on from my sarcastic dig at Triumphs marketing department in the video linked at the end and I hope it makes you smile, and maybe question some of the things we are told. KTM and Ducati have had some stick in the past too. To be clear though, I do see this as an industry wide problem.
The proliferation of fake bikes news isnt helping either. If you believed half the Autogenerated content being pushed on here you would think we hat a V Twin XT1000 air cooled trail bike built from the blocks of 2 Yamaha XT500 singles coming into dealers tomorrow.
Today i’m going to look at the news the big shillers and the industry in general would rather not talk about.
Or you could say, an alternative angle on the things the general media are saying.
It is all said tongue in cheek and says more about the industry in general than about any particular bike or manufacturer.
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Anyway, here we go with the alternative news.
Royal Enfield Himalayan 450
First today, although we are promised the new Royal Enfield Himalayan 450 will be in showrooms this year finally, The much talked about Himalayan Rally wont arrive here until 2027.
Also, If you liked the old Himalayan, the new 450 Himalayan might not be as good for you as the old one was. The old one had bags of low down torque which made easy work of all but the gnarliest green lanes in the hands of a semi competent rider. It might not be a bike to win at the Dakar, but it was hard to stall and made for a relaxing ride.
The new bike has a much revvier engine and the power is made higher up the rev range. This means the rider needs to choose the right gear much more than they would with the original, longer stroke, air cooled Himalayan motor.
You will need to rev the engine to get the most from it and when you do, you will start to feel a tingle that was always missing with the original.
The new bike is better than the old Himalayan in many ways. But just make sure they are actually the ways you want.
The new ride by wire throttle, rather than being crisp and snatchy is laggy and slow to respond. There is a big dead zone before the throttle picks up and it makes snappy acceleration difficult. On a highway passing a truck that isn’t great, but lifting the front wheel over rocks on a green lane is harder too.
Then we have some problems with the dash readings, or possibly more. There is a random error message that tells you to turn off the ignition and restart. Then we get the front wheel speed sensor fail message which again requires a restart.
These two messages arent such an issue and are reset by the ignition switch, but one that is more concerning, is the message that tells you the bike is overheating and to stop immediately. Obviously this isn’t something you ever want to see. Reportedly it can be fans running slow, low coolant levels from the factory and problems with the sensors, but when all these problems mean a trip back to the dealer, that isn’t good at all.
Battery charge level sensor failure is another problem that has come up. The bike tells you the battery charge level is low and you should stop and charge it, but if the bike is running, it should always be charging. That problem seems associated with irregular use, but shows earth leakage somewhere in the electronic circuits.
This is the first time Royal Enfield have built a bike with such a complex interface with electronic controls, so I guess there would always be buge. However, these should have been ironed out because they did have such a long development time with this bike.
CF Moto 450MT
Next we come to the CF Moto 450MT which now seems to have been given the name the Ibex in some markets.
The 450cc twin cylinder CF Moto 450MT has promised lots, and has been called the Unicorn ADV bike we have all wanted for years. However, it is almost as heavy as the Yamaha T7 and by my calculations heavier than the more powerful and better equipped Aprilia Tuareg.
Yes, at close to 200Kg wet, the CF Moto 450MT is much heavier than it should be.
Its dry weight of 175Kg keeps getting shouted from the rafters like it is the most amazing thing ever that a 450cc twin cylinder ADV bike only weighs 175Kg dry.
It isn’t.
This ruins the whole package for me and I see no reason why it weighs so much.
At 175Kg dry, with 17.5 litres of fuel alone its wet weight would be around 195Kg minimum. Add oil, coolant and other fluids and it is yet another 200kg ADV bike. So what is the point really?
Yes it will be cheaper and more economical, but it could have been even more economical if it weighed less.
After all, it was over ten years ago now that CCM managed to build a 450 ADV bike that produced over 40HP and 40Nm of torque and weighed just 125Kg dry. Even with its 20 litre tank full to the brim it weighed less than 150Kg.
Progress eh.
Hero Motorcycles
Next I have to mention Hero, We had the successful launch of the Hero Xpulse 200 this year, but no one outside of India seems to care. We have a Maverick 440 launching soon, with the promise of an X-Pulse 440 to come, and they also won the contract to build the new 440cc Harley Davidson.
Add to that we got an amazing 2nd place overall at the Dakar, but Hero still don’t seem interested in selling bikes to Europe and the USA.
Despite their success at the Dakar they still seem content to focus primarily on the home market. What we are seeing is a whole line of new high end Hero dealerships being set up, just to focus on providing a more complete ownership experience for their premium products.
They have at least two fantastic 450 single engines, the race engine, and the engine used in the Harley 440. They can build great Chassis too. In addition, they have the ability to build great quality smaller capacity bikes in huge quantities. These are the bikes that dominate the Indian market, but so far, Hero seem completely disinterested in entering the European, American, or Australian markets.
I for one would love to see an Xpulse 450 launched in the UK.
Bajaj Group
Next we have another story about yet another Indian manufacturer.
Bajaj Group are now one the biggest motorcycle companies in the world, but you may never have heard of them outside of the Triumph deal, unless you live in India that is. I talked about them in the video about KTM linked above.
As well as the bikes they sell under their own banner, they manufacture for Triumph and KTM in India and have a controlling stake on the board of the Pierer Mobility Group which owns KTM, Husqvarna, GasGas and more.
That is all before they start eating into the shareholdings at Triumph and MV Agusta too.
They are very shrewd businessmen. They sacrificed their shareholding in the KTM group to take a majority shareholding in the parent company and show no signs of slowing down their drive to increase their corporate influence on the world stage.
For now, they seem to prefer to stay in the shadows pulling the strings. But ask yourself, will that always be the case?
Next we have a story about an Adventure bike that isn’t new, doesn’t make 100HP and doesn’t pretend it can win at the Dakar.
Rieju Aventura
However, the Rieju Aventura is the ADV bike with the longest tank range of any ADV bike available, and its significantly lighter than a CB500X too.
You may remember me mentioning the Rieju team in this years Dakar.
Yes, Rieju, a small Spanish manufacturer who mainly focus on dirt bikes, have built a 500cc 50HP twin cylinder ADV bike with a 1000 mile range. Well, actually, its another bike built in China, but listen on.
Imagine an old F650 GS single with an under-seat tank. But then add a full size tank in the normal position, put a CB500X engine in it, trim off as much weight as possible and give it some fully adjustable, relatively long travel suspension, and you will start to see what the 500 Aventura really is.
A great little ADV bike with a big attitude.
I honestly can see no reason why this bike isn’t seen far more out on the roads, and I would love to see Rieju have more success in the future than they have had so far.
In comparison I would say this bike is streets ahead of the CF Moto 450MT, but it is getting ignored completely by the press. I wonder why?
Next we come to the big boys.
BMW 1300GS
BMW decided to confuse me this year. It doesn’t take much to be fair.
The all new BMW 1300GS is actually heavier than its predecessor, made predominantly from parts bin stock and has been described as of very poor quality compared to the previous 1250 model.
Now I went into this in detail in the Eicma video linked above https://youtu.be/ecsvKgYewWw , but putting it simply, add on all the extras you get as standard on the 1250GS, and the 1300GS is heavier than its older sibling.
There have been loads of complaints about paint quality, and old parts bin stock being used throughout the design too.
There is nothing essentially new about the 1300GS at all. It is simply a bored out 1250 with a pile of the bits you actually want taken off.
You don’t even get a pillion seat!
BMW F900GS
However, the smaller cheaper F900GS with the same engine as last years 850, IS actually lighter. Not just by a bit either. It is a whole 15Kg lighter. And they didn’t save weight by just leaving bits off like they did with the 1300GS.
Yet very few people are talking about the F900GS at all. The Latest Loncin built 900 twin still has much in common with the original Rotax design. However, it has been said that this new model only contains 20% of the original.
It has an engine that has stood the test of time and maybe this is the first sign that the bigger more established players are finally going to give us something that weighs less than a tank.
I wonder why BMW would spend the money on development saving weight on the 900, but then just get lazy with their top of the range all new R1300GS that has higher margins?
I will leave you to ponder that one.
The next bike may be part of the reason though.
Voge 900DSX
We got what has to be some more good news for a change MotechRevolution explain more in the video linked in the description https://youtu.be/F_wodlPryv0?si=PBXr01ZrcCJyAMLy but Voge have basically made a half price BMW F900GS.
Yes, Voge, as the Luxury Marque of the Loncin Brand, who build the BMW F900GS for BMW, are now building their own version.
There are differences, but not many, and with BMW suffering so many recalls in recent years you might actually get a more reliable bike if you buy the Voge instead.
Talking of BMW recalls, sort of. There have been announcements regarding the fabled drive shaft issues on the 1200 and 1250GS. Basically in short, regardless of service history, there is a recall mod being done to the drive shaft of any bikes from a certain period, and a free drive shaft swap at around the 50K mile mark, even if you bought the bike 2nd hand, off john down the road, they will supply and fit a new shaft. Now that is something a few other manufacturers should take note of.
Next we have another one of the big hitters.
Ducati Desert X Rally
The Ducati Desert X Rally has been featured on so many channels recently I really am sick of seeing it. Ducati must have spent a fortune on that launch. What they brush over very quickly is that it is actually heavier than the standard model.
Now on one level I do like a lot about the Ducati Desert X, but come on Ducati. Why is the Desert X Rally so heavy? Let us think about the term Rally. You think lighter? With longer range tanks? Better suspension? More power? Extra protection? Well I guess they ticked the better suspension box, but it reminds me of my old school reports. They always said “Should do better”.
It also has to hold the title for the crappiest front mudguard ever made. You can see it in the footage here, It looks softer than the mudguards on the average Ali Express pit bike, so I’ve got no idea what it will flap around like at 100mph.
Surely the Multistrada serves those who want a bigger heavier bike. Or call it a Desert X Trampoline or something.
If you are going to call it a Rally model the very least it should be in my eyes, is lighter, not heavier.
I don’t understand why a company with such a sporting heritage and profile wouldn’t make the Rally version lighter than the standard Desert X.
The old Desert Sled with a bigger tank and better suspension would have been significantly lighter and cost nothing in R&D. I honestly just don’t understand why the Desert X Rally has to be so heavy.
Next we have some sad news about an old favourite.
Yamaha T7
The new Yamaha Tenere 700 has obviously reached that mid life point where things start to get muddled up.
It has become just as complicated and overweight as the multitude of other big ADV bikes on the market.
Because Yamaha don’t have a bigger engined model, they seem to have decided to just make the T7 bigger and heavier.
It just makes it seem like they didn’t realise at all why their T7 sold so well.
The T7 was simple, relatively cheap, and lighter than the opposition. Instead of trying to improve on that concept more, they just made it more complicated, more expensive and heavier. What an incredible piece of customer research it must have been to send them down that path.
Now we get not one, but several bigger more complicated versions, so the new bikes have become just like all the rest of the overweight hippos on the market.
They still haven’t made a decent seat for it either.
Next we have some none news for many of us.
Kove 800X Super Adventure
The Kove 800X Super Adventure still isn’t here in any of the western markets. We have been promised a lot with this bike, and although available in the home market, it is sadly still missing across most of the world.
Kove Spain assure us it will be here this year, but my sources say they are still working on homologation for the European, American, Australian and Canadian markets and there is no date fixed yet.
As you can see on his channel linked above, Dave from Bullpen Cycles got fed up of waiting and https://www.youtube.com/@bullpencycles has imported a Kove 450 himself into Canada. So it may be that people start taking things into their own hands soon. That will be easier with off road bikes though. I can imagine the piles of paperwork here to get the 800X on the road.
Next we have a cross continental joint venture.
Triumph 400 Scrambler
The new Bajaj built Triumphs have been shilled beyond oblivion.
The Triumph 400 Scrambler, just like the Speed 400, doesn’t live up to its name very well.
It isn’t a Scrambler. It has a plastic bash plate with a very vulnerable coolant reservoir directly behind the plastic bash plate. It also has a low level exhaust and the ride by wire throttle is snatchy at slow speed. Just what you need in a Scrambler.
The engine has no torque low down and is gutless unless you wring its neck. Wring its neck and you will feel the vibration though every bone in your body. Even having your knees touching the tank gets intolerable above 70mph.
Vibration at high revs is unbearable. To call it buzzy is like calling a Hayabusa fast. It might be true, but it doesn’t tell the full story.
A wooden front brake grabs at low speed and fades with fast riding. It has handguards that fall off in a light breeze and an engine that cuts out randomly for no apparent reason.
That bit isn’t being acknowledged or even discussed by Triumph either.
Owners all over India have reported the problem. The bike cuts out and won’t restart, then randomly after a while it will start again, yet Triumph are ignoring it. Come to think of it, that used to happen with an old Trophy I had when the TPS sensor needed adjusting. I wonder, is it just poor quality control?
To be honest, Triumph don’t care. As long as it gets them a small share of the huge Indian market, they would sell their own grandmother.
To finish off today, there are at least 5 new ADV bikes from China that look great, but we may well never see most of them.
More Chinese ADV Bikes
As well as the inevitable KTM790 variations there is the big 1200cc Morini V Twin, and a longer stroke V-twin 1000cc ADV bike from the Keeway group. Then the Voge 900 I talked about which we should get, and there is also the Zontes 700cc Triple. This is possibly the most different looking ADV bike I’ve seen teased for 2024, and maybe the most exciting looking prospect too.
Who knows what will come next. I think Ducati still hold the title for biggest, most complicated, over powerful and expensive Adventure bike for 2024 so far though.
Final Words
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