Innholdsfortegnelse for November/December 2024 i Motorcycle Mojo Magazine

You may be forgiven if you’ve never heard of Fantic motorcycles. The bike maker was founded in Barzago, Italy, in 1968, and produced mostly small-displacement two-stroke mini bikes powered by Italian-made Minarelli engines. The company became popular in the 1970s for its reliable mopeds that performed better than the competition (read: they were faster), which really stuck with European teenagers looking for a personal ride. When the demand for mopeds waned, Fantic began making bigger off-road bikes, including motocross, enduro and trials bikes, in 125 and 250 cc displacements. Throughout the 1980s and early ’90s Fantic enjoyed success in the FIM World Trials championship. The company eventually shuttered its doors in 1995. Fantic’s current owner VeNetWork is an Italian investment firm. Current CEO Mariano Roman, was at Aprilia for almost…

We talk about karma and hope our good deeds will be rewarded. About 10 kilometres south of Chain Lakes on Highway 22 we came across four Harley riders in trouble, one with a blown front tire. The two-inch slit in the sidewall was unpluggable, so we helped push the trike to the north-bound shoulder where they waited for a tow truck. Was it a karmic event? We had left Calgary that morning encouraged that, in July of 2023, it was safe in our post-Covid world to make the U.S. a travel destination once more. Having heard about the roads around Mount St. Helens, we made the area a focal point of the trip. Kyle Gwilliam, John Ritz, Keith Tully and I met at a local gas station, where we admired…

The other part of my master plan was, if I couldn’t completely eliminate the routine of caring for a chain, I might at least reduce it. If I couldn’t eliminate lubrication, then I could at least automate it. Enter Scottoiler. The Scottish company offers three automatic oilers: the basic vSystem which works via vacuum; my electrically powered xSystem; and a top-of-the-line computer-controlled eSystem. I opted for the X because: a. I didn’t want to tap into an intake system vacuum line lest it cause a problem later on; and, b. I didn’t think that having control of the flow rate at my fingertips was going to be a big deal. More on that decision in a moment. Installation was a pretty much a breeze. For one thing, the kits provided…

While looking through some old photographs, I found one I thought I had lost of my father, Paul Nijeboer (the original spelling of our family name). He was born on August 1921 in Utrecht, The Netherlands, the youngest of four children. He is sitting on his brother Henk’s motorcycle. Henk was 12 years older than my father. The motorcycle is a 1936(?) DKW SB500 Standard. The photo was taken in March 1938, so my father would have been 16 at the time. I have no idea what happened to the bike, but I suspect it met some misadventure during the war in Europe. 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.…

A beginner bike should be simple, fun to ride, and it should inspire confidence as a new rider acquires experience in those first few riding seasons. Kawasaki has just introduced the 2025 W230, a beginner bike that promises to provide all those things while at the same time being affordable and attractive. The W230 gets its Brit-bike styling cues from the larger W800, which itself is modelled after the Kawasaki W-series bikes of the mid-1960s. This lightweight runabout is heavy on the retro, with a 12-litre teardrop gas tank, fork gaiters, twin shocks, oil tank-inspired side covers, and a peashooter muffler. At its heart is the same air-cooled, fuel-injected, 233-cc single that powers the KLX230 dual-sport and KLX230R off-road playbike, though it has been retuned to a more beginner-friendly, linear…

I often find myself reading a travel article in Mojo, thinking “OMG, I wish I could do that!” And now I can say I have, with a bucket-list trip to the Scottish Highlands. Here is the story: the good, the bad, and the cow pie. My daughter has lived in Scotland for 10 years, working as an historian for Historic Environment Scotland, and as my wife and I visited and became familiar with the incredible geography, amazing roads, beautiful scenery, historic attractions — and driving on the wrong side of the road — I developed a dream of riding a motorcycle in the Scottish Highlands. My buddy Vince and I have done a week-long annual trip for many years, covering the Gaspé, the East Coast, New England, the Blue Ridge…

Being a Newfoundland expat, these words always echo in my mind: “You never know how good you have it, until you don’t.” I have been a motorcycle enthusiast my entire life and I have been fortunate enough to travel throughout North America on some of the most scenic byways and highways that Canada and the Continental U.S. have to offer. Newfoundland has breath-taking landscapes, beckoning adventure aficionados to explore hidden gems. One of the most exhilarating ways to experience the Island’s natural beauty is by embarking on a journey along the gravel roads and trails on an adventure motorcycle. During the summer months, the rugged terrain, the charm of gravel roads, the allure of the great outdoors, and the weather all merge to create an unforgettable experience. The island’s new…

890 The size of engine cradled in the all-new Yamaha YZF-R9. The model shares the same CP3 three-cylinder inline engine as the MT-09, but is paired with taller gearing and ECU setting changes. The YZF-R9 is expected to arrive in dealerships in Spring 2025. 1,350 The engine size in cubic centimetres offered in the new KTM 1390 Super Adventure S. An increase of 50 cc from its 1290 Super Adventure predecessor. The bike has increased frame stiffness, more length from foot pegs to seat and upgraded suspension that uses WP’s latest semi-active technology and Pulse Width Modulation sensors to achieve superior handling. 450 The size of Triumph’s all new motocross model TF 450-RC. Triumph stepped into the motocross world with the official release of its TF 250-X in late 2023,…

Let’s face it: If you have a credit card and unlimited time, you don’t need to plan your ride any time before that morning’s coffee. Just pick a direction and go. There will be plenty of things to see and do, and almost always, a motel is available at day’s end. For the rest of us, however, it pays to do a littlepre-trip legwork. But how? Until you have some experience in planning a longer motorcycle trip, the process can seem a little mystifying. And sadly, some would-be adventurers never take the trip simply because the logistics seem so daunting: Where do you even begin? That’s a shame because, like most things in life, once you gain a little know-how, it turns out not to be so hard. Many, in…

Honda’s Africa Twin has always been the most committed of big-bore Japanese adventure bikes. Blessed from its beginning in 2016 with a true dirt bike-like 21-inch front wheel and a vast suspension travel — not to mention almost comically soft springing — Honda’s big soft-roader focussed mostly on the adventure part of the ADV equation and a little less on the touring. And bona fide were its off-road credentials. I can remember jumping logs and busting berms on the first-gen AT and thinking that such silliness really shouldn’t be possible with something that — back in the day — boasted 998-cc. Absent, however, was the sporty on-road handling so many expect from the adventure tourers these days. Its ultra-skinny 21-inch tire, so blessed off-road, really screws with the big Honda’s…

“DLC STANDS FOR DIAMOND-LIKE CARBON. IT’S JUST ABOUT THE TOUGHEST SURFACE FINISH ONE CAN APPLY TO METAL” Well, that was a disappointment. Three years ago, I bought a chain. Nothing extraordinary about that considering I own three motorcycles. What was extraordinary, however, was that I paid just over $500 for it — USD$401.18 plus the currency exchange, to be exact. That did include shipping but, even by the inflated price of modern motorcycle parts, it was a pretty hefty price tag. The reason I spent that much money was a promise. By incorporating the very latest in state-of-the-art materials with premium chain technology, I was promised reduced maintenance, the bugaboo of all non-shaft drive motorcycles. Also implied, though not directly stated, was increased longevity. Now seemingly forgotten, this was BMW’s…

THE ADIRONDACKS The Adirondacks is a special place for Curtis Nickel, who has ridden in the area at least a dozen times before. This time he decided to take a few of his riding buddies to experience the spectacular mountains, rivers, lakes, and fascinating villages and towns, but most of all, the exciting roads that make Adirondack National Park such a destination for motorcyclists. 2025 DUCATI MULTISTRADA V4 S Ducati launched the latest Multistrada in the town of Gubbio, Italy. The mountains surrounding this ancient city provided the ideal backdrop for a ride on the newest Multistrada V4 S. It’s Ducati’s most tech-laden adventure tourer since its introduction, and we’ll give you the rundown in the next issue.…