Posts Tagged ‘Royal Enfield’

Upshift or Downshift: Motorcycle News

Posted: January 6, 2020 in Motorcycle, Motorcycle news, Motorcycle racing
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I have started a new type of post to replace the “5 Things That Caught My Eye” articles. I am going to “Up Shift” and quickly discuss motorcycle news articles that I thought was cool or good and “Down Shift” on those that are not. So bear with me as this evolves over the next few months. Feel free to comment or even suggest news articles for discussion.

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Upshift: Royal Enfield “Build Train Race” – Royal Enfield has challenged four women to Build Train and Race Flat Track motorcycles based on their new Interceptor 650.

The participants are: Melissa Paris, professional road racer, Lana McNaughton founder of the Women’s Moto BuildTrainRace_WHT-300x271Exhibit, Motorcycle enthusiast Jillian Deschenes and DIY shop owner Andrea Lothorp. Each has already received their Royal Enfield Interceptor motorcycles and are building their bikes now.

After some training they will race their Royal Enfield Flat Trackers during this year’s Milwaukee Mama Tried event. Check out the Royal Enfield Build Train Race website.

My take: I think this is great for a first year and hope it is not a one off!  In fact, while American Flat Track is a co-ed racing series, it might make sense for Royal Enfield to work with AFT on an amateur “spec” series for women. Run it on the same weekend with the Flat Track races. The pro series might just become even more co-ed in a few years.

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Downshift: Yamaha & Suzuki Leave MotoAmerica – Looks like the old racing statement of “Win on Sunday Sell on Monday” is no longer true. Sales at both Yamaha and Suzuki motorcycles are down and the companies are just not willing to spend the money on factory road racing in America.

motoamerica-logoBoth manufacturers are keeping their fingers in MotoAmerica supporting, for Yamaha, Estenson Racing and Team Hammer getting Suzuki support. But that does not lessen the sting of no direct factory teams in America’s premier motorcycle racing league.

My take: This news really hurts after the 2019 racing season. MotoAmerica was the best racing in the world with any of six teams capable of winning.  On top of that bad news, we know that a MotoAmerica fan favorite JD Beach has moved to American Flat Track (he ran both last year). We still have not heard what is going to happen with Josh Herrin or Tony Elias.

It is going to be interesting to see how things play out this MotoAmerica season maybe some fresh blood will rise to the top.

Motorcycle TV: Oil in the Blood

Posted: December 24, 2019 in custom motorcycle, Motorcycle, Motorcycle TV, Uncategorized
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A feature length documentary released in 2019 covering the “contemporary motorcycle culture”. The film attempts, and I think accomplishes, to show how individualism is embedded into our culture. “This is not a film about motorcycles, its about motorcycle people.”

This was a very ambitious undertaking. According to their website they interviewed nearly 300 custom motorcycle builders, riders, racers, artists, etc. from the US, Japan, Europe, Australia, and Africa. They also talked with representatives from Harley Davidson, BMW, Yamaha, Ducati and Royal Enfield. ON TOP of all that how about attending events at the Bike Shed in London and Paris, The Trip Out, The Brooklyn Invitational, The Distinguished Gentleman’s Ride, Dirt Quake, Snow Quake, Mama Tried, and Mooneyes among many others.

So, with all that, is this motorcycle film any good, is it worth your time? Yes and yes. Theob 1 only negative was that they had so much content that some will think it is a bit too long at 2 hours. Now don’t get me wrong, it was a lot of fun to watch and it will be on my winter 2020 motorcycle movie list! I like the interviews and discussion around why people are doing the things they are doing. I really loved seeing myself or someone I know in nearly every person they talked with.

I do have one additional negative; they went back to one guy multiple times who did nothing but lambast people who “customize” via bolt on and manufactures who sell limited addition motorcycle. That guy really pissed me off. Not all of us are a wiz welders and have hundreds of hours to create our personal masterpieces.

I am giving this film 5 stars. I know some will think that this is a bit long, but I enjoyed seeing that motorcycle people, around the world, are pretty much the same. The “Oil in the Blood” documentary is available on Apple, Google, Amazon and other streaming services.

5 star

Test Riding the New Royal Enfield 650s

Posted: June 1, 2019 in Motorcycle, Motorcycle news
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Recently I got to attend the Royal Enfield “Pick Your Play” demo day for the Washington DC metro area, held at Summit Point Raceway. I got to test ride both the brand-new Continental GT and Interceptor 650’s. The new bikes are parallel twins and Royal Enfield’s entry into the mid-class motorcycle competition.

I have to say WOW, nice job Royal Enfield!   I don’t think these motorcycles are going to be competing for race wins any time soon but for a daily urban computer these are winners and a lot of fun!

DSC02465Before I go into details on my rides and thoughts on these new motorcycles, I want to give the Royal Enfield crew some praise. This is an 8-city tour, wish I could attend another, of the US and the Royal Enfield’s crews presentation of the event was very nice! Bikes on display, food trucks and music already to go and well executed. They also took the time to recognize the Royal Enfield owners who showed up, not something you see at events like this. Well done guys!

As for the motorcycles they are essentially the same bike with some feature and cosmetic changes. Same engine, same frame, etc. yet they felt completely different. Some of that “feeling” goes to the ergonomics of each motorcycle. The GT with the café racer style clip-on handlebars and the Interceptor with it upright “classic” positioning really gives each its own personality.

The Interceptor 650 felt a lot like the old Honda CB750 which is a huge compliment. Itz7 had a solid feel from 0 to about 75 MPH. I did not go faster as that was the most I was willing to push on an unfamiliar motorcycle on an unfamiliar track. It did feel like it wanted to go faster. In the tight turns of the track the upright position did make me feel that the lean angle was higher than it really was.

Speaking of lean angle, the café racer Continental GT and it’s hugging the tank body position really, really wanted me to put it over tight in the turns. I never drug the pegs but, if I could get a few more laps in I know I would have. Again, for motorcycles that are mostly the same, they have attitudes and personalities all their own.

Royal Enfield has a couple of winners on their hands, if they can get the word out. One idea to get the American motorcycle culture to notice these new motorcycles might be sponsoring a “spec” race series, maybe in conjunction with MotoAmerica. Could be a cheaper way for more folks to get into the racing scene (well that’s my two cents anyway).

Ride On!

5 Motorcycle Things That Caught My Eye

Posted: November 6, 2018 in Motorcycle, Motorcycle news, Motorcycle Rides
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Vintage BMW Motorcycle in Legos!!!  A “Lego Master” from Taiwan creates a brick masterpiece.  He created a 1967 BMW R60/2 with working suspension, steering plus all the hoses and cables.  It took 3 months and over 700 bricks to create this wonderful piece of art.

Another Electric Motorcycle Manufacture Runs Out of Power. Sad to report Alta Motors is closing its doors.  Their Red Shift looked to be an awesome machine, winning a bunch of races.  It had a deal with Harley Davidson that fell though, which may have had some impact. 

Speaking of Electric Motorcycles…Really? $120,000? Comes with an Iron Man style HUD helmet and a haptic (physical) feedback system built into the matching jacket. Oh and you get a high performance motorcycle too.

The other Milwaukie Motorcycle.  Did you know that Royal Enfield has it’s US Headquarters in Milwaukie?  Nothing like looking at the big boy down the block!

The Best Driving (riding?) Roads in the UK.

 

5 Things from the Interwebs

Posted: November 23, 2017 in Motorcycle, Motorcycle advocacy, Motorcycle news, motorcycle safety
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Royal Enfield has 2 new Motorcycles

Royal Enfield launches two new 650cc motorcycles, the upgraded Continental GT 650 and the Inceptor 650.  Both are using the new Royal Enfield parallel twin power plant producing 47HP.  The Continental GT continues the café racer look while the Interceptor looks more like a normal cruiser.  To me the Interceptor looks a lot like an older Honda CB.   Watch a video on the launch at EICMA, Milan.   OH, why has the Royal Enfield Himalayan not yet been released into the US?

A sad account of the human commuter.

A mini-van pulls out in front of a motorcyclist, an accident occurs and no one stops!

A Star Wars Land Speeder Cruises Manhattanz1

A ran across a cool video of a couple riding a land speeder in downtown Manhattan.  Using some well-placed mirrors they really, kinda, pull off the effect.  There is a second video that discusses how they pulled off the land speeder/motorcycle.

Motorcycle Safety Foundation Tip Sheet

Nice little article from the Motorcycle Safety Foundation on “Pretending Your Invisible”.

10 Best Harley Davidson Motorcycles of All Time

While I don’t agree with all the Harley Davidson motorcycles on this list, it is a good effort.  The site is a bit “click-baity” but that seems to be the norm with a lot of sites anymore.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Our wonderful adventure 2017 International Motorcycle Show

Posted: January 12, 2017 in custom motorcycle, Motorcycle, Motorcycle news, Rally
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The view of the show from up high

Debbie and I went to the Washington DC International Motorcycle Show on the 8th of January.  But before I tell you about the show I have to tell you about the adventure we had just getting to the show. 

On a Sunday morning, barring accidents, it can take about 45 minutes to get to the Washington DC convention center from our home by car.  The problem is that parking in DC is very bad on the very best day, so we elected to take the metro/subway instead.  That was a big mistake! 

First and foremost we forgot that system was undergoing major overalls on the rail lines.  Second the trains are less frequent on weekends and third it was 12F and windy.  Sooooo, we quickly learned that we should have just driven in by car.

 The long story short is that we changed trains 5 times had to leave the subway to take a bus for 3 stops and walked several blocks to wait in stations for the next train to arrive.  At one point I think we were within a mile of convention center but at 12F the remaining 30 minute train ride was a better deal.  All in all just over 2 hours after boarding the first train we arrived at the convention center where we then had to walk to blocks, in doors, to get to the exhibit center. 

Well once there we had a great time.  This here the show was a bit smaller than those of the past.  Honda and KTM were not present thus the number of makes were down by at least two.  Last time we were there on a Saturday so I do not know if the crowd was smaller but it felt well attended to me.   

We wondered around the exhibits looking at the new bikes, checked out the JP Cycle motorcycle show contestants (I should enter my Army bike) and talked with the representatives. I had a nice conversation with the CEO of Southeastern Virginia Indian out of Newport News about what he and Indian are doing.   

I also had a good conversation with the marketing director of Royal Enfield USA.  She knew about the DawgHouse Motorcycle Radio show and stated that if any of us got to Milwaukee we had an invitation to ride the new Royal Enfield Himalayan adventure bike.  It is not yet available in the US but of course the HQ of Royal Enfield has a few on hand! 

After about 2 hours we knew we had to pack it in, even if we were not ready because we had a 2 hour train/bus/walking trek ahead of us.  So we packed our swag and headed out. 2 hours later we were in our car warming up and head to the house. 

All in all this year’s IMS Washington DC event was worth the 4 hour travel!

2016 Timonium Motorcycle Show and Expo

Posted: February 26, 2016 in custom motorcycle, Motorcycle, Motorcycle advocacy, Motorcycle news, motorcycle safety
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Debbie and I attended the largest Motorcycle Show and Expo in the mid-Atlantic region a few weeks ago.  Held at the Maryland State Fairground, I think there were more folks at this year’s expo than attended in 2015.   

As has been in past years Harley Davidson of Baltimore took the premier spot on the floor, directly inside the entrance.  As we walked through the Harley display it looked like they were even selling one or at least were in serious negotiations.  Just behind the HD exhibition were the Indian and BMW Motorrad displays.  Turning to the right and moving like salmon swimming upstream is the accessories and product section.  

Ijustwant2ride.comThere were all the normal stuff like jackets, vests, chaps and biker themed jewelry.  One vendor caught my eye was producing, on site, LED signs… we might be ordering one or two of those as gifts.  At the end of the road contestants for the Miss Timonium title were “showing their talents” to the crowd.  Debbie was not too impressed, I tried to not let on I was watching, LOL!

 ijustwant2ride.comSimilar to last year the Expo was including adventure traveling companies & vendors along with guest speakers.  Debbie and I stopped and listened to the “2 Ride the World” discussion. Their 13 year, 400,000 mile, around the world story compressed into a 30 minute confab was very entertaining, and left the audience wanting more.  Highly recommend you check out their story!  I am looking forward to a book or even a movie! 

ijustwant2rideThe organizers also had, similar to the adventure traveling section, an area where vendors were showing off their new stuff on stage. We stopped to find out what Sena was releasing in the New Year.  Turns out they are going to release their own “smart” helmet with active noise cancellation and full integration of their product line.  If you are invested in the Sena products you should check out this new helmet when it arrives, cost will be about $500US.

Ijustwant2ride.comMy highlight of the day occurred at the KTM display.  As we were walking buy Debbie remarked that KTM was the bike that Ryan Dungy of Supercross rode (a 450) and that she wanted to see what that bike looked like in person.  She walked up to the salesman and asked if they had one at the show, they didn’t but a minute later she was climbing on a KTM 350 of similar size.  I almost laughed when the guy looked at me with a “how does she know all this Supercorss stuff” look on his face.

 The bikes on display for show were all very nice and some were just plain spectacular. The custom “muscle bagger” by Sick Sledz took best in show!  I have a couple pictures of it just below.  

We spent about four hours looking at all the stuff on the floor before heading home.  I hope this year’s event was a success for the vendors and show participants.  Debbie and I had a good time and plan on going back in 2017.

5 Motorcycle related things that interested me last week

Posted: April 21, 2015 in Motorcycle news
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Just some links to motorcycle “stuff” that caught my eye last week.

Royal Enfield Gunship

Motorcycle Chariot Racing??

Riding in India

Guess the Bikers Profession

Harley Davidson V4???

 

5 Motorcycle “Things” I found interesting this week.

Posted: March 6, 2015 in Motorcycle advocacy, Motorcycle news, motorcycle safety, motorcycle touring
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Just some things that peaked by interest this week.

 

Royal Enfield History Video

WienerMobile Crashes in PA

New “entry level” BMW?

Triumph Tiger Explorer XC Special Edition

54,000 Euro fine for 64 in a 55??? Socialist at their best!

2015 Timonium Motorcycle Show

Posted: February 21, 2015 in custom motorcycle, Motorcycle, Motorcycle news, motorcycle touring, Rally
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The number one thing that I noticed immediately was that attendance was up. I arrived about the same time as last year and was parked much further away. It was also easily noticeable that I was dodging more folks as I weaved around each of the displays.

The second noticeable thing was the number of vendors and the addition of venues (Motorcycling Touring and Toy Hauler RVs). The people running the show really stepped up their game and I really enjoyed the new additions.  Here is a “small” list of the bike vendors in attendance. (I did not remember seeing BSA and URAL though, hummm 🙂 )

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Ijustwant2ride.comAs usual Harley Davidson had the primary spot of the show… right there as you walk into the building. HD of Baltimore was showing of their bikes and riding gear. I was surprised to see “sold” tags on more than a few of the bikes. They had at least one of every bike they sell including the new Road Glide and FreeRider Trike.

 

 

Ijustwant2ride.com

The Indian display was not in a prime spot, which was surprising to me. They only had a few bikes on display including their new Scout and the flagship Roadmaster. The Scout was very nice but the color scheme on the Roadmaster was…. UGLY. The bike’s paint was Indian Red and Birch White, with tan saddles and a lot of black plastics. The color scheme did not work for me, but the bike itself was interesting, I would like to take it for a spin and compare it to my HD Ultra Limited.

 

All the major imports were represented. Honda had at least one their entire stable, it seemed, on hand including a REPSOL branded CBR1000. Ducati had one of the new Scramblers on display and based on the number of people looking at it is going to be a hit. Kawasaki had a limited edition Ninja on display but I was expected to see a new H2. Turns out that is not going to happen until the Chicago IMS: Motorcycle Shows ‏@MotorcycleShows 7m7 minutes ago The #Kawasaki H2R is under wraps until #ChicagoIMS opens at 1:00 today! http://instagram.com/p/zDBzuGkGLv/

Yamaha had the bike that intrigued me the most the SR200. The SR200 is kick start only, not something you see much of any more. I think that I might go by a Yamaha Piano Dealership and check out the SR200 (just kidding). Suzuki, Royal Enfield, Triumph, and others all had displays but nothing really new and exciting to show.

The two biggest additions to the event were the motorcycle hauling RVs and the motorcycling tours venues.

There were several toy haulers on display and the one in the photos below peaked my interest. The wife and I have kicked the idea around a time or to but it usually ends when I state “you will have to drive too you know” LOL.

The touring section was very nice with multiple vendors, most of which you will have seen advertising in all the major magazines Edelweiss Bike Travel for example. They also had some recent long distance riders’ talk about their adventures for example Allen Karl author of Forks, Lois Pryce author of Lois on the Loose (I bought her book) and Guinness World Record Holder Benka Pulko.  Each of these folks and the others, presented a 30-45 minute slide show and discussion of their travel.  It was a great addition. This is a venue I hope to see again next year.

As for the actual bike show, there were some really beautiful motorcycles on display in all the classes. I wish I had checked my battery before I left the house as I did not get as many pictures as I wanted. Oh well, there is next year.

 

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