With difficult times forcing racing seasons worldwide to start late, MotoAmerica has announced that it will help feed the hunger of its fans for on-track action by offering a free trial to its live streaming and on-demand service, MotoAmerica Live+ until May 22.
The trial will give MotoAmerica fans access to more than 160 races across its five classes, including the premier MotoAmerica Superbike class, through May 22. Those wishing to cancel at that point can do so and those fans who are ready for more can continue with the full season of 2020 racing for $74.99, beginning on May 23. The 2020 MotoAmerica Series is set to kick off the following weekend with the series opener slated for Road America in Elkhart Lake, Wisconsin, May 29-31.
“Things aren’t easy right now for anybody and with the majority of our fans sheltering in place at their homes, we thought we’d give them some free entertainment,” said MotoAmerica President Wayne Rainey. “Our 2019 season was action-packed so there’s definitely a lot of good racing ready to be viewed on-demand on MotoAmerica Live+. We hope our fans take advantage of the free access to keep them entertained while they are in their homes.”
The Motorcycle Safety Foundation is calling on riders everywhere to keep learning and stay safe with the help of online information, most of it available for free.
“The MSF has a wide variety of digital content that can help motorcyclists while many training sites and RiderCoaches are unavailable during this pandemic,” said Robert Gladden, MSF vice president of training operations. “Many riders are still on the road, getting where they need to go, and we want them, and all motorists, to be as safe as possible.”
Riders can visit the MSF’s online library to find educational materials from downloadable booklets to videos and quick tips, plus fun “tests” like the Rider Perception Challenge.
On the MSF’s YouTube channel, also free, motorcyclists can take a dozen virtual street rides with Dr. Ray Ochs, MSF vice president of training systems, as he talks about real-world traffic while two-wheeling around Southern California.
Beginning and veteran riders can purchase the MSF Basic eCourse, an interactive, three-hour, online introduction to motorcycling. It was designed as a key component of the hands-on MSF Basic RiderCourse, but taking the eCourse alone can help someone decide if motorcycling is right for them. It can also be beneficial for those who intend to take a hands-on course not using MSF curriculum. And the eCourse is strongly recommended for riders who have been away from motorcycling for some time.
For currently active and experienced riders, the MSF Street Strategies eCourse is an option. It focuses on all of the street strategies sections that are found in the Basic eCourse.
“Our phone lines are up, our email is up, and we are keeping our spirits up,” Gladden said. “We are sharing best practices, participating in video conferences, sometimes just being there for our friends in the safety community, lending a sympathetic ear. We are determined that we will ride it out, together.”
The Motorcycle Safety Foundation promotes safety through rider training and education, operator licensing tests, and public information programs. The MSF works with the federal government, state agencies, the military, and others to offer training for all skill levels so riders can enjoy a lifetime of safe, responsible motorcycling. Standards established by the MSF have been recognized worldwide since 1973.
The MSF is a not-for-profit organization endorsed by American Honda Motor Co., Inc.; BMW Motorrad USA; BRP, Inc.; Harley-Davidson Motor Company, Inc.; Indian Motorcycle; Kawasaki Motors Corp., U.S.A.; KTM North America, Inc.; Suzuki Motor of America, Inc.; Triumph Motorcycles America; and Yamaha Motor Corporation, U.S.A. For safety information or to enroll in an MSF Basic RiderCourse near you, or to learn more about the many other MSF course offerings, visit MSF-USA.org or call (800) 446-9227.
Purchasing a motorcycle, parts and accessories from the comfort of home, then having them delivered to your door, is becoming more common, and now Indian has entered the online ordering market with its new Click.Deliver.Ride service. Riders have long had the ability to search for their desired model on Indian’s website and customize it to their preference, but they can now work with their local dealer, either online or via phone, to complete their purchase and have their dream bike delivered right to their doorstep.
In the same way that Click.Deliver.Ride is providing Indian Motorcycle’s customers with convenience, it is adding value to its network of dealers as well. Dealers play a crucial role in their local communities and economies, which is why Indian Motorcycle has dedicated itself to help them navigate through this unprecedented business situation, with Click.Deliver.Ride at the forefront.
“Over the last month, we’ve all had to adjust to a new way of life and have had to alter the ways in which we conduct our business,” said Mike Dougherty, Indian Motorcycle President. “Our hope is that Click.Deliver.Ride. will help bring peace of mind to both our loyal customers and our network of dealers.”
Motorcycle people and companies coming together to help.
A press release from the Motorcycle Industry Council:
We are all inundated with the impact of COVID-19. Yet, amid the devastating news, there are stories of hope; people and companies coming together to help our country’s most vulnerable, the heroes in healthcare and our brave first responders.
Within the powersports industry, we’ve seen Yamaha Motor Manufacturing of America in Newnan, Georgia, donate 380 respirators, 49,000 gloves, 325 Tyvek suits, and 18,000 alcohol wipes to the Piedmont Newnan Hospital. “We thank Yamaha for their support as we provide care to the community during this COVID-19 epidemic. The care we provide each day to our patients, especially during these times of crises, wouldn’t be possible without the support of our community,” said Vicki Kaiser, Executive Director of Community Affairs, Oncology and Support Services at Piedmont Newnan “The acts of kindness shown by our community partners helps encourage our team to push through as we strive to make a positive difference in every life we touch.”
What is Honda doing to help Americans in general during this crisis? Honda’s effort is led by an initial $1 million pledge to food banks and meal programs across the United States, Canada and Mexico and is intended to provide the most vulnerable with access to food. In addition to the $1 million pledge, the company also will implement a special matching gift program that enables Honda associates to make monetary donations to food programs in their local communities, matching up to $1,000 for each individual gift.
In addition, Honda has inventoried its stocks of Personal Protective Equipment at their North American facilities and have donated much of this equipment, including N95 face masks, to support frontline healthcare providers. They are also deploying 3-D printers to manufacture visors for protective face shields that will be used by medical providers.
Polaris, through its foundation, has donated more than $220,000 in technology to meet the needs of local students in Minnesota, Wisconsin, and Iowa as they transition to distance learning. This includes donated iPads, Chromebooks, wireless hotspots, chargers, and more. Furthermore, when learning that Smiths Medical, a leading global manufacturer of specialty medical devices, was looking to ramp up their manufacturing of ventilators and IV infusion pumps at their Oakdale, Minnesota, facility, Polaris reached out to see how they could help. This week, several employees from Polaris signed up to work at Smiths’ facility to help production efforts, with the potential to increase the workforce support as Smith continues to assess its need.
In New York City, a group of more than 60 motorcyclists collaborated with MasksforDocs.com, a grassroots campaign created to “get protective supplies into the hands of healthcare workers as quickly as possible.” These motorcyclists helped distribute personal protective equipment to some of the neediest doctors and hospitals in the city. We know motorcyclists in many other states are also working to do the same.
If you or anyone you know has a story you want to share with us, please email [email protected]. We can help you tell your story to a broader audience to provide hope to our community and demonstrate all that we in the power sports industry are doing to help.
We will get through these difficult times, working together to #RideItOut.
2020 BMW R18 “Big Boxer.” Photo courtesy BMW Motorrad.
In only a couple of hours, BMW Motorrad will be live streaming the worldwide unveiling of the highly-anticipated R18 cruiser. At 2:00 p.m. EDT (11:00 a.m. PDT), viewers can tune into BMW Motorrad’s Facebook page or YouTube channel to get a first, live look at the new “Big Boxer” R18 cruiser.
Teaser shots have been trickling in for months, after a series of concept bikes built around a new 1,800cc boxer twin were unveiled at motorcycle shows worldwide.
In response to the current COVID-19 crisis, Ural Motorcycles has announced a new drop shipping service for parts, with free home delivery (in the U.S. market only). Customers may order parts from their local (or any open) Ural dealership and the parts are directly drop shipped to their home.
Anyone looking to buy a new Ural can still do so at any dealership that’s still open. Trade-in values can be estimated online using Ural’s Get My Trade In Value tool.
The 2020 KTM 890 Duke R will be available in dealerships this spring.
We needed some good news, and KTM North America has delivered, announcing the early availability of the brand new 890 Duke R, unveiled in Milan last November and originally intended to launch in late 2020 as a MY2021 machine. Instead, KTM will be bringing in a “very limited number” of 890 Duke R models this spring as 2020 models.
Basically a more powerful and aggressive version of the impressive-in-its-own-right 790 Duke, the 2020 890 Duke R features a new 890cc parallel twin with an increased bore and stroke, higher compression ratio and redline, larger valves, a new piston design with new connecting rods and a new crankshaft, new individual mapping adjustment on each cylinder, a knock sensor and new engine cases. The new mill churns out more horsepower and torque, and KTM also says it provides better rideability due to increased rotating mass.
Brakes are by Brembo, with larger discs and Bosch ABS that includes a Supermoto setting, suspension is fully-adjustable WP Apex front and rear, and electronic rider aids include new-generation traction control and ride modes with optional Track mode and Quickshifter+, all aided by a new 6D lean angle sensor.
Befitting its “super scalpel” mission, the 890 Duke R has a lower, flatter handlebar and footpegs that are higher and more rear-set for a sportier riding position and greater lean angle. It makes no pretensions at being anything other than a twisty-munching or track-attacking machine, with a solo seat and no pillion footpegs. It’s you and Mr. Duke, that’s it.
Pricing has yet to be announced, but barring any supply chain disruptions we should see the bike in dealerships sometime this spring.
Save the date: on Wednesday, March 25, at 10:30am PDT, 1:30pm EDT, Ducati will live-stream a presentation on its new Streetfighter V4. Usually the type of thing reserved for journalists like us when we attend new model launches, this will be a unique opportunity (fueled by the coronavirus pandemic, but consider this a silver lining) for the general public to hear directly from the engineers, designers and test riders who are responsible for bringing the new Streetfighter to market.
The presentation will be live streamed on Ducati’s official website and social media channels:
Robert M. Pirsig’s book, “Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance,” has achieved near-legendary status among riders and non-riders alike. Now the 1966 Honda Super Hawk featured in the book, along with other memorabilia, will take its place in U.S. history at the Smithsonian’s National Museum of American History in Washington, D.C.
The Smithsonian’s National Museum of American History will be the new home of American author Robert M. Pirsig’s 1966 Honda Super Hawk featured in his book, “Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance: An Inquiry Into Values.” Pirsig’s book, originally published by William Morrow in 1974, has sold more than 5 million copies and has been translated into 27 languages. The inspiration for Zen stemmed from a month-long road trip Pirsig (1928–2017) took with his 11-year-old son Chris in 1968. As they rode the 5,700 miles from the Twin Cities of Minnesota to San Francisco and back, Pirsig became better acquainted with his son and himself.
Stored for decades in the family’s New England garage and recently mechanically restored, the motorcycle is a gift from Pirsig’s widow, Wendy K. Pirsig. The gift includes Pirsig’s leather jacket, maps, shop manual and other gear from the 1968 ride, together with his toolboxes, a manuscript copy and signed first edition of Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance. The book kickstarted an international cultural movement to rethink how people interact with technology and find balance in life, as it tells a story about the relationship between people and machines that made Pirsig a pioneer in the human-technology interface and do-it-yourself maintenance and repair.
“Bob’s philosophy explored human values, and he aimed to show how quality is actually at the center of all existence,” Wendy Pirsig said. “It seems consistent with this focus on quality that his motorcycle collection joins the nation’s exemplary history museum at the Smithsonian.” The museum is located on Constitution Avenue N.W. between 12th and 14th streets in Washington, D.C., and is open daily from 10 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. (closed Dec. 25). Admission is free. For more information, visit americanhistory.si.edu.
A copy of the original manuscript for “Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance” will be included in the Smithsonian’s exhibit.
Honda has announced the colors and pricing of the 2020 Gold Wing family, which will be available in January. In addition to the new colors, some new features and refinements have been added to the 2020 models:
Fog lights standard on Tour models, for improved visibility in varying conditions
On Tour models, reshaped rear-seat grab handles provide improved ergonomics for passengers of all body types
Saddlebag-mounted USB charger on all models (previously standard only on Airbag model) joins dash-mounted charger for increased charging options
Updated front and rear suspension settings
Revised button on center storage pocket features improved action
Minor software updates on navigation system
Blacked-out engine, frame and wheels now available on Pearl Glare White Tour and Tour DCT
All-new black with anodized surfaces available on Gold Wing and Gold Wing DCT
Colors and pricing for the 2020 Gold Wings are as follows:
2020 Honda Gold Wing Tour DCT in Candy Ardent Red/Black. Photo courtesy Honda.
Gold Wing Tour
Colors: Pearl Glare White, Candy Ardent Red/Black
MSRP
Pearl Glare White: $27,500
Candy Ardent Red/Black: $28,000
2020 Honda Gold Wing Tour DCT in Pearl Glare White. Photo courtesy Honda.
Gold Wing Tour DCT
Colors: Pearl Glare White, Candy Ardent Red/Black
MSRP
Pearl Glare White: $28,500
Candy Ardent Red/Black: $29,000
2020 Honda Gold Wing Tour DCT Airbag in Darkness Black Metallic/Gray. Photo courtesy Honda.
Gold Wing Tour DCT Air Bag
Color: Darkness Black Metallic/Gray
MSRP: $32,300
2020 Honda Gold Wing in Matte Black Metallic. Photo courtesy Honda.
Gold Wing
Color: Matte Black Metallic
MSRP: $23,800
Gold Wing DCT
Color: Matte Black Metallic
MSRP: $25,000
Keep scrolling for more photos….
Fog lights now come standard on the 2020 Honda Gold Wing Tour models.Passenger grab handles have been redesigned for easier use.All 2020 Gold Wing models now include an additional USB charging port in the saddlebag.Anodized red accents on the 2020 Gold Wing.
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