Innholdsfortegnelse for January/February 2023 i Motorcycle Mojo Magazine

The first thing that comes to mind when motorcyclists start jabbering about Kawasaki’s Ninja H2 is, without a doubt, the supercharger. Never once, for instance, has a discussion about the SX SE — the supposedly sport touring version of the supercharged H2 — started with “How about those saddlebags, eh?” Or the brakes. Almost assuredly not the seat, TFT gauge set or the comfy, supple suspension. It’s always the supercharger. It’s easy to understand why. For one thing, superchargers on motorcycles are rare enough,: a quirk of past racing rules saw their use on some pre-war BMW and AJS racers. And I think I remember reading there was a Vincent Black Lightning once that was similarly “enhanced” with a belt-driven supercharger. But, as far as I know, Kawasaki is the…

“Are you going to fly your bike to Alaska?” I had encountered the question more than once in the days leading up to my 2022 summer adventure, and it betrayed what many Canadians believe to be true: The prairies are so boring! The sentiment is often accompanied by the now-standard joke about watching your dog run away for three days. Not to be too Zen about it, but motorcycles have taught me that, in fact, the journey is the destination, and I was looking forward to the open skies and endless horizons. This was part of a long-term test ride of the new 2022 Suzuki V-Strom DL650XA, and along with taking note of Suzi Blue’s performance and ergonomics, I was determined to make the most of every moment and every…

Forty years ago, my friend Bart and I roamed the high-ways and by-ways of Europe from the Netherlands on our Norton Commandos. We rode to London for bike parts and to France and Spain for the sunny beaches. Those days were some of the best times of our lives. Later, we grew apart, but maintained occasional contact. It was after my wife and I immigrated to Canada that Bart and I started contacting each other more frequently. In 2019, during a visit to the Netherlands, we started talking about riding together again. Destination Canada of course. Dreams became plans and, in January 2021, Bart bought a Kawasaki KLR650 in Canada for the backroads trip through Alberta and British Columbia we had in mind. After some modifications to the bike, it…

SUZUKI We feel Suzuki should get the spotlight, since it has been ages since the company released any all-new motorcycles, and not just revamped models based on ageing designs — even if those dated designs were still quite sound. V-Strom 800DE The smaller of Suzuki’s V-Stroms, known affectionately by its followers as the Wee-Strom, is not so wee anymore. At the heart of this new V-Strom is a 776-cc, liquid-cooled parallel-twin, a layout Suzuki hasn’t utilized since it put to rest the air-cooled GS500F back in 2009. The DL800DE’s 270-degree parallel-twin is compact, and produces 83 hp and 57.5 ft-lb. of torque, which is 13 hp and 11.5 ft-lb. more than the outgoing V-Strom 650. The engine features two gear-driven counterbalancers to smooth vibration; a slipper/assist clutch; and ride-by-wire throttle…

“A KALEIDOSCOPE OF SPECTACULAR OCEAN VIEWS, NOT ONLY AHEAD, BUT MANY TIMES ON BOTH SIDES AS WELL AS IN THE MIRRORS” Red sandstone cliffs trimmed with green falling into the blue waters of the Atlantic Ocean was my first peek at the archipelago, as the ferry nosed its bow into Cap-aux-Meules harbour. Les Îles de la Madeleine (Magdalen Islands) consists of 12 islands, six linked by long, narrow and very fragile sand dunes. This small, isolated region of Quebec lying within the Gulf of St. Lawrence is a 105 km, five-hour ferry trip from Souris, Prince Edward Island. It was with anticipation that we rolled out of the hull of the Madeleine II onto Île du Cap aux Mueles and headed out to our campsite at Parc de Gros-Cap before…

Alan Cathcart is at it again with the release of his latest book, Ducati Superbike 1988-2001. As the name suggests, this book covers the history of the factory Ducati Superbike racers during the desmoquattro era from 1988 to 2001, when the new generation testastretta engine was introduced. But uniquely, it does so from a hands-on perspective. Cathcart was fortunate to be the only journalist in the world to have track-tested all but two of the factory Ducati desmo V-twin Superbikes that participated in the Superbike World Championship down the years, from its foundation in 1988 up to 2015. This book is a compendium of such tests, covering the years in the title. His assessment of each bike frequently includes the crucial insight of the men who raced them for the Italian…

HONEST REPORTING It is always interesting to read reviews of new motorcycles. I subscribe to Motorcycle Mojo and to an American publication (RoadRUNNER) which, in the same month, reviewed the Indian Pursuit (Sept/Oct 2022). In comparing the two reviews I have to say that Motorcycle Mojo’s Alan Cathcart does a much better job of interesting and honest reporting. Obviously, each journalist has his or her own style, and searches for points of importance to share with and educate the reader and potential consumer. In the case of the Indian Pursuit, Cathcart shares very informative background information about the company and is fair in describing both positive and negative aspects (call it the strengths and weaknesses) of the motorcycle. He shares details of negotiating switchbacks in the French Alps. One has…

FUN FACTS: • You are holding the 168th issue• Emily was 10 when the first issue rolled off the press• Glenn did not have grey hair FAST FACTS: We have Back Issues (but not the painful kind) • BACK ISSUES IN PRINT FROM 2002 can be purchased through our website however, some are completely sold out!• DIGITAL ISSUES AS FAR BACK AS OCT/NOV 2010 can be purchased check out pocketmags.ca and zinio.ca MotorcycleMojo.com Hoping to see you at a show! Thank you for reading our magazine!…

I was surrounded by eight police motor officers with the red and blues on their motorcycles flashing. I wasn’t the reason they were there. But I was the reason their lights were flashing. On a street ride during the 10-day Police Motor Officer Certification course I was taking with them, I failed to negotiate a tight, uphill, 120-degree left turn into a narrow country lane. When I realized I was going wide, instead of looking into the turn and countersteering, I focused on the edge of the road and soon found myself in the grassy ditch. The first officer asked me if I was hurt. I wasn’t. The second officer asked if the bike was okay. It was. The third officer commanded: “Then get off your ass and get your…

Seldom do time-saving tools actually, well, save time. Legion, in fact, are the bobbles I have laying around the Booth garage gathering dust in their uselessness: at least three chain alignment tools, two more gizmos that supposedly take the guesswork out of measuring chain slack, and one doo-hickey that promised to make adjusting the valves on my beloved Honda CB1100RC easier, but just ended up grinding itself into little shavings in my oil. We were not amused. Motion Pro’s latest cable lube tool — official name: the Motion Pro Cable Luber V3 — is the polar opposite, a simple little gadget that not only works better than you’d think but is also super-simple to use. Essentially a three-piece tool — the two halves of the body you can see, and…