Innholdsfortegnelse for January/February 2022 i Motorcycle Mojo Magazine

At 42 years old, Valentino Rossi has called it quits. A talent on par with the likes of Michael Schumacher, Giacomo Agostini, Mike Hailwood, John Surtees, and several other names immortalized in motorsport, Rossi will for all time be known as one of the greats. And no one will argue that he’s the greatest motorcycle road racer of all time. Born in Urbino, Italy, on February 16, 1979, Rossi began racing 125 cc motorcycles in 1993, and went on to win the Italian 125 cc championship in 1994 and 1995. In 1997, he won the 125 cc world championship, and two years later, took the 250 cc world title. In 2000, he began a two-decade-long career in the premier class of Grand Prix racing and won his first premier class…

One year ago BMW Motorrad defied the global pandemic by introducing the first in a new family of Cruiser models, addressing a segment that the German company had spent the previous 16 years — since production of its R1200C Custom model ended in 2004 — studiously avoiding. But with Cruisers dominating sales charts in the U.S., the Western world’s No.1 market, BMW Motorrad CEO Markus Schramm felt this was a sector that could no longer be avoided in BMW’s quest to topple Harley-Davidson from its global leadership in the premium motorcycle sector. “But we must try doing this our own BMW way,” he insisted. “We never copy anyone, and that applies for this segment as well. It must be an authentic BMW.” Hence the BMW R18 Big Boxer Cruiser and…

COOL STORY PART I Around 11 years ago, after the death of my little buddy, student, and friend Peter Lenz, a man named Michael contacted me. In fact, a lot of people contacted me to send their condolences, many having read about my experiences in working with and coaching the young and talented road racer in my long-standing monthly column. The comments were kind and sympathetic, thoughtful and considerate, but one of the emails in particular stood out for me, and that was the one from Michael. His email read: “As a man in his sixties who has raised several children, I can repeat with certainty and from the bottom of my heart that no parent wants to lose a child, ever. It is in my mind the deepest tragedy…

BMW’s plus-sized touring cruisers are offshoots of the 2020 R18 cruiser, a bike that borrowed styling cues from the 1936 BMW R5. The R18 Transcontinental is the most touring-oriented R18, and it costs $29,500, which is $2,555 more than the Bagger. That premium adds auxiliary lights, a taller windscreen, engine guards, fairing lowers and wind deflectors, a 48-litre top case, and a heated seat for rider and passenger. It also has a slightly taller touring saddle, at 740 mm. Lifting the Transcontinental off the side stand takes a herculean effort, as it weighs an astounding 427 kg wet, which is 29 kg more than the Bagger. The Transcontinental’s boxer engine alone weighs 111 kg, which is as much as a ready-to-ride Honda CRF450R motocrosser. It took me a while to…

Have you ever stopped to wonder why we bikers are drawn to Ducatis? Put the question to Facebook and I suspect you’ll get many different answers. For some, it’s as simple as the best of them being irresistibly red. Others will make the argument that, regardless of hue, they’re simply the most beautiful motorcycles (and with the 916 and Panigale as examples, it’s hard to argue their point). Still others will say it’s the engine; their contention is that the Italian take on pistons is somehow more soulful than mere internal combustion. Indeed, the true technocrat will just mouth “desmodromic valve actuation” as if no further explanation is needed. For me, it’s always been the Ducati appetite for apexes. Slow steering (the aforementioned 916) or quick to full lean (that…

HUSQVARNA NORDEN 901 Husqvarna had shown the Norden 901 at EICMA in 2019, planning to release it in 2020. Then, that thing happened, and it was put on pause. Well, it’s finally coming, and we had a chance to ride it in the Azores. It’s closely based on the KTM 890 Adventure. Has Husqvarna made a better bike? Read about it in the next issue. 1941 HARLEY-DAVIDSON SERVI-CAR When Tom Lucas saw photos of his grandfather’s Harley-Davidson Servi-car, he embarked on a mission to recreate it to not only honour his grandfather, but also his grandfather’s Vancouver Dodge and DeSoto dealership where the Servi-car was put into service on a daily basis.…

With a wide variety of choices from a number of manufacturers, times have never been better if you’re into adventure bikes. This is especially true if you’re more interested in something lighter, more manageable off-road, and (somewhat) more affordable than the big guns, like the R1250GS, Super Ténéré, 1290 Super Adventure, Tiger 1200, et al. But you might also want something that’s more capable on pavement than a single-cylinder dual-sport machine. There’s now a better selection than ever of off-road-capable bikes that bridge the gap between those big adventure bikes and smaller dual sports. These include the KTM 890 Adventure, Husqvarna 901 Norden, BMW F850GS and Yamaha Ténéré 700. And now, an entirely new bike joins the ranks of those middleweights: the 2022 Aprilia Tuareg 660, and it promises to…

DEER WHISTLES I enjoyed Emily Roberts’ article on her deer incident (Another One Bites the Dust, November 2021), but I feel compelled to reply. Have you thought of using deer whistles on your vehicles? I have been driving and riding for more than 40 years, 30 years in the mountains of B.C. — mostly in the Kootenays and Okanagan region — so I think that gives me a little insight into the matter. I am a big believer in using deer whistles on all my vehicles, especially on my touring bike. I prefer the less expensive ones, like the ones from the dollar store, and tuck them out of sight, but making sure they stay in the wind so they work properly. For those riding on trails or dirt riding…

My compass points north, so north my summer ride would be, on a route to places few have been. I had heard of mythical tales of riders reaching the salty waters of the Arctic Ocean via James Bay, but never actually met a motorcyclist who’d made the trek. Covid had closed the southern U.S. border and blocked foreign travel for another year! So, this summer, my ride would be north to upper James Bay. I wasn’t sure it was a great idea for a solo ride, so I hooked up with two friends: John, a retired Federal Ocean scientist now big into fighting global warming; and Dean, a psychologist friend I work with at my university. Dean, a reincarnated (after more than 30 years off the bike) but novice rider,…

Newfoundland, or “The Rock,” as it is also affectionately known, has a reputation for many things. It’s known for its harsh climate, its beautiful scenery, and most of all, for its warm and welcoming people. On my recent road trip — which started in Central Alberta on my 2012 Kawasaki Versys 650 — across the island and back I had the opportunity to experience all of these in spades. I arrived on the overnight ferry at Channel-Port aux Basques under a blanket of low-hanging clouds. There was a chill in the morning air, and it felt like rain could fall at any moment. My goal for the day was to put as many of the 900 km to St. John’s behind me as I could. I had a week to…

Back in 1977, I was a 14-year-old enjoying a nearly new Honda CB200T on the gravel back roads of Saskatchewan. Fixing motorcycles was almost as fun as riding them, so in 1986, two basket cases became one good PE250. This bike helped keep me sane as I made my way through pre-med in Regina. Many bikes later, as a Canadian military physician in Europe, I was fortunate enough to take the BMW Race Academy at Assen, as a 50th birthday gift from my wife. — Submitted by Andrew Currie SUBMISSIONS TO REMEMBER WHEN? ARE ALWAYS WELCOME. IF YOUR PHOTO(S) IS PRINTED WE WILL SEND YOU $25.00 HIGH RESOLUTION DIGITAL PHOTOS ARE ACCEPTABLE AS WELL AS PRINTS. IF YOU WISH THE PRINT BACK PLEASE INCLUDE A SELF-ADDRESSED STAMPED ENVELOPE. SEND TO:…