As motorcycles roar back, here are the best bikes to buy for summer
Coronavirus has flattened the car industry beyond recognition. Its effect on the motorcycle market may be less severe.
Motorcycle sales in thefirst quarterof 2020 dropped 10.6% fromthat of2019, compared with a12%fall for cars, according to the research firm Motorcycles Data. Some industry watchers aresaying they actually feel optimistic about 2020 when it comes to motorcycle sales.“There are good reasons for optimism," Erik Pritchard, the head of the Motorcycle Industry Council, said during a videoconference call with dealers. During the first four months of 2020, the larger group of all retail “powersports" sales (a group that combines motorcycle sales with those of such all-terrain vehicles asfour-wheelers) in the United States saw its best performance since 2016. “The powersports industry is in a much more positive place than where we thought we'd be earlier this year, when the full impact of the pandemic began to come into focus."
Also check these Bikes
170 kmph
647.95 cc
25 kmpl
Also Read : 2020 Kawasaki Ninja ZX-25R price revealed. Pre-bookings open internationally
Jason Chinnock, the head of Ducati Motorcycles of North America, professesconfidence as well. Speaking by phone call, Chinnock saysDucati’s flagship New York store delivered a 24% sales increase, year over year, for new motorcycle sales in April; dealers in California’sOrange County, Los Angeles,and the Bay Area saw similar success. In Florida, Ducati dealers in Sanford, Miami, and Pompano posted higher performance figures than in April 2019. Elsewhere, localdealers such asKentucky Powersports (which tripled sales in April) and Minnesota-based East Central Sports (more dirt bike sales in April than ever before) reported record numbers.
April is historically one of the strongest months of the year for motorcycle sales, as warmer weather prompts consumers to start planning spring and summer riding. Multiple factors have led to the gains, among them the simple fact that consumers have been cooped up since early March and are longing for a way to escape the confines of home while safely maintaining distance from others.
“If you’re looking for that escape, that release, that joy, then motorcycling is where you’re going to go," saysChinnock.
Riding a motorcycle is less expensive, more efficient, and often faster than commuting by car. Covid-19 has caused consumers who may have waffled about getting on a motorbike to reassess the risk.
“For persons who might have thought before:‘I don’t know about powersports,that could be dangerous’—well, does your thinking change when you could go outside and can get sick and die from having been breathed on by the wrong person, or touched the wrong surface?" Pritchard says. “You start thinking about whether there are some things you’ve been really wanting to do. When you’ve been stuck inside for the past few months, you are probably willing to do some new things, especially if the risk is something [you] can control, or at least help control by wearing protective gear."
Also Read : In massive bike bot scam, five UP cities raided and 178 motorcycles recovered
With that in mind, we are highlightingfour exciting motorbikes for this summerthat are new on the market. They include electric,Italian,dirt-bike-inspired, and channeling vintage cool. Each is worthy of consideration as you plan thebest way to get out of the house while staying six feet from your friends.
For the rider who wants to be cool:
Ducati Scrambler Café Racer
Some have argued that the 2020 Ducati Scrambler Café Racer is too easygoing to be a Ducati. They say it’s more stylistic than serious, an exercise in pandering to dilettantes, rather than an evolution of superior performance from this 126-year-old brand. To which I say: That’s kind of the point, though it could be said in kinder terms.
The $11,996 Scrambler Café Racer is indeed designed specifically to be stylish. Thisneed not be a demerit. Quite the contrary: Many of us love those uber-cool motorbikes from the 1960s and ‘70s that Ducati has excellently channeled here, with silver-ice matte graphics, a covered seat, low handlebars with mirrors set at the ends, and generally tidy proportions.
When I tested one last week in Los Angeles, I loved the 17-inch spoked wheels and “54" racing plate number hung on each side of the bike (a number that commemorates Bruno Spaggiari,an Italian moto racer from the 1950s); I loved that you can swap out the single round headlight marked with a big black X and the panels on the fuel tank to make the bike more your own.
Ducati made this six-speed, 803cc motorbike to appeal to a broad range of riders, including newer ones and hobbyists, weekend-only types, and Ducati faithful who want a second, third, or fourth bike for fun. The reason is simple: The motorcycle industry has been tanking since 2006. It’s imperative to recruitriders. The way to do that is to make motorcycles that are cool to look at and less likely to feel as if they might kill you. Companies that don’t adapt to the marketplace will die.
The Scrambler Café Racer is the result. It offers a moregradual power delivery when you squeeze the throttle than does aDucati Monster, for instance, which will shoot out from under you on a hairtrigger. (I learned how to ride motorcycles on a Monster, which was quite the thrill—and with that hair trigger probably not recommended.) It comes with such easy ergonomics as a 31.7-inch seat height that felt low to my lanky frame, lowered handlebars, and even a USB outlet hidden in the seat. It has handling that promotes stability, rather than just slicing roads like a jackknife—a characteristic I appreciated; most of my riding on this café racer was as it was intended,which is to say, cruising around neighborhoods in Boyle Heights and L.A’.s downtown Arts District. The 68-horsepower engine will get you to 100 mph if you push it—but I found that the bike is happier cruising at 40 mph to 50 mph. Riding it was pure delight, as the Ducati gods surely intended. Who could argue with that?
Also Read : Kawasaki USA recalls Ninja ZX-10R
For the rider who wants to be progressive:
Zero SR/S
At $19,995, the Zero SR/S is expensive for a motorcycle, especially one that requires its owners to take a deliberate step forward into the unknown. There have been plenty of critiques about electric motorcycles, circling mainly around the ideas that (1) since they don’t have the loud roar of engine tailpipes, they’re somehow less safe than motorcycles that do and (2) they’re not “real" motorcycles anyway, since they lack the gears, vibration, smell, and general rumbling goodness of something that runs on oil and gas.
The one I rode this week in Los Angeles cost even more than its sticker price, closer to $22,000, thanks to such upgrades asheated handlebars and a windscreen. (A bigger power tankadds a further$2,895.)This is truly elite pricing ground for motorcycles, on par withmore expensive items from BMW and Ducati. Still. the Zero SR/S does have plenty of things you might find worthy of its price tag: dynamic looks; a smooth, instant, powerful thrust of acceleration from the moment you twist the throttle; nearly 170 miles of driving range; and a motor with a futuristic hum that serves onlyto amplify the nature around you. It strips out all the distractions of riding a motorcycle so you can enjoy the sensation in its purest form. I loved it.
On a ride last week in the Elysian Heights near Dodgers Stadium in L.A., I could hear birds chirping, leaves crackling, and lawnmowers in the distance as I rolled around corners; I could smell the sweet fragrance of jacaranda in the breeze, rather than oil and gasoline. The Zero SR/S achieved the uncanny feat of allowing me to feel total immersion in nature on a machine that usually actively blocks my senses from experiencing nature. It was a revelation ofwhat motorcycle riding could be.
Zero’s SR/S looks like a cross between a sport bike and a sport tourer, with a single, air-cooled motor that produces 110 horsepower and 140 pound-feet of torque. In normal driving in Eco mode, which is how I did much of my ride, the base model of the bike will get up to 161 miles of range in town; if you give it the beans, as our friends in England say, you’ll get roughly 82 miles on the highway at 70 mph. The extra power tank boosts total range to 200 miles.Sportand Street modes tighten and quicken responses on the brakes and throttle; they lessen the considerable charge you get from the regenerative braking. Combined city and highway riding will even out around 100 miles of range.
As you might expect, the Zero SR/S comes with lots of technology packed into its instrument cluster, which is then linked to an iPhone app that measures range, battery life, miles ridden, and so forth. The buttons on the front control screens are minimal; just one determinesride modes, and oneacts as a starter and killswitch, as in standard motorcycles. (It even has a practical trunk of sorts near those instruments, a hatch (where the gas tank would be) that provides space for brown-baglunches, say, or sunglasses, a hat, and additional riding gloves.)
Some criticism: The brakes feel super touchy, rather than smooth, if you grab them too quickly, while Eco-mode riding means that the moment you loosen your hand on the throttle, the bike slows down. I found that I barely needed to touch the brakes at all;I just rolled off the throttle when I needed to slow.
Those quibbles are far from sufficient to derail my enthusiasm for the Zero SR/S. Those who can afford the exclusive price tag will find themselves among a very lucky group.
For the riderwho wants daily value:
Indian FTR Rally
If you come from the vein that might appreciate a Harley-Davidson but want to stand out a little more than that, consider the 2020 Indian FTR Rally. At $13,499, it combines the heritage and brawny style of an established, respected motorcycle brand while offering a fresh look and counterpoint perspective as to what that brand should be. There’s good value for money here.
The new FTR Rally comes emblazoned with the classic Indian Motorcycle logo and a red pinstripe, titanium smoke paint, and a premium rally console badge. I liked the cool Pirelli Scorpion Rally STR tires on aluminum spoke wheels and the upright handlebars set 2 inches higher than previous models for a more alert, at-the-ready riding feel. I liked the look of its black trellis frame housinga 1203cc V-twin engine that gets 123 horsepower and 87 pound-feet of torque. It delivered steady, progressive power and a generally mild response; it’sin the middle of the pack when it comes to responsiveness in steering,braking, and nimbleness, but it’ssteady and strong.
This bike contains no frills: no traction control, no LCD touchscreen, no ride modes. What’s more, the analog gauge between the handlebars will polarize; a cool throwback to some, it may seem dated to others. (I didn’t have a problem with it.) The bikedoes offer a few modern conveniences, suchas cruise control and USB charging.
The Indian FTR Rally will rattle a bit at higher speeds (cruising at 60 mph is a happy spot), and it’ll go through gas quicker than some of its lighter brethren. I found it happiest cruising over L.A. River bridges, ducking down side streets, and then accelerating over the crest of each gently sloping incline.
For the rider who needs a reliable, powerful motorbike that is as happy on a highway commute as it is on city streets—and that could jump onto the dirt in a pinch, just in case—it delivers well, at a price that will make you smile.
For the rider who wants to be unique:
Royal Enfield Interceptor 650
The 2020 Royal Enfield INT650 isn’t the smoothest,the fastest, or themost powerfulof the motorcycles on the market today, as I have previously noted. But with the cool vintage feel of the Ducati Scrambler Café Racer at half the price, I find it among the most endearing.
The $5,799 INT650 comes with a four-stroke, air- and oil-cooled, 648cc-parallel twin engine packed into a body taken from the military-style Royal Enfield Interceptors made in the 1960s. At just 445 pounds, it feels light to ride, with steady handling and an easy balancearound corners. The clutch is easy to press, the handlebars facile to maneuver, and the brakinguncomplicated and firm. I liked how simple the flat seat felt, reflectingtheInterceptor’s lack ofemotional baggage.
I liked that the new Interceptor is a conversation piece to ride, too. I certainly got a lot of questionsabout itas I rode through L.A. and posted it on social media. Most people know the brand but might not have seen a new Enfield in real life: In 2015, Royal Enfield surpassed even the behemoth Harley-Davidson in global motorcycle sales, but the brand sold just 3,500 motorbikes in the U.S.last year.
The Interceptor is not a luxury item made from top quality components; it can feel thinly constructed, compared to jumping on a bike from BMW or Ducati. But for the price and the heritage, it’s a great entry into riding and a great addendum for those who want something for weekends. I predict that in the near future, U.S. sales number will rise.
