The Tiered Lineup; Then and Now

It's that time of year where motorcycle companies show off their new upcoming bikes. This year it seems the manufacturers are moving away from a market focused on sportbikes and cruisers  and are moving towards a market of more versatile and affordable bikes with adventure type bikes leading the way. This makes given that sales of once popular 600cc sport-bikes have shrunk significantly, and cruisers have at best leveled off. After the market collapsed three years ago it appears moneyed baby boomer aren't as interested in expensive "toys" and the manufactures seem to be turning to a younger demographic, time will tell if these entry level bike will find buying in the US.

But with these new bikes we should refresh our outlook on traditional motorcycle segments. For example Honda recently got it's groove back and introduced a new 250cc sportbike and 250cc dual-sport.  This year they followed up with a new 500cc motorcycle that comes in sportbike, adventure, and naked flavors. On top of that they also have their recent 700cc adventure and naked bike. So lets recap

250cc single CBR(sport), CRF (enduro)
500cc parallel twin CBR (sport), CB (naked), CBX (adventurer)
700cc parallel twin NCX (adventurer)

The midsize segment for Honda is getting pretty crowded. The NC700X joins the (800cc V4) Crossrunner and (700cc V2) Transalp/Deauville and (600cc I4) CBR600F.

Kawasaki's Ninja 250, which for a long time was the only sport sportbike available, will be joined not only by the Honda CBR250 but also a Ninja 300. On top of that there exists a Ninja 400, a small version of the Ninja 650.

With all these new bike surely there isn't room for all these size, or is there? Is there a need for a tiered line up with adequate space between sizes and prices? Or are all sizes welcome? In the 1970's motorcycles came in just about any displacement you wanted. Over the years fierce competition virtually standardized engine sizes. Throughout the last decade standard/naked motorcycle classes in the US looked something like this;

250 Kawasaki Ninja + some basic cruiser-style learner bikes
500 Kawasaki and Suzuki (for a time)
600-650 Class of midsize bikes lead by the Suzuki SV, as well as left over sport bikes
750 Kawasaki and Suzuki (both for a short time)
1000+ Open class bike from just about every manufacturer

Along with new interesting sub-600cc bikes, 800cc motorcycles are have been popping up everywhere. Will they on day replace the 600 class? The US market seems to be moving to a new type of line up, that may look something like this;

250 Kawasaki, Honda (Yamaha? Suzuki? KTM?)
500 Honda
600-650 Kawasaki, Suzuki, Yamaha
650-800 Yamaha, Honda, Triumph, BMW, Ducati
1000+ Everybody

Regardless of what the new sizes might be one thing seems clear; the market is finally showing signs of changing behavior since the 2008.

Small Bikes, the Next Big Thing?

As citizens of developing nations gain more wealth they may be interested in something beyond the basic scooter/moped. Over the last decade we've seen a new crop of 125-600cc bikes spring up around the world. Sizes depend on local regulations for example India has a lot of 150cc bikes, Japan 400cc, Vietnam has a 125cc limit, and the United Kingdom has a learners limit of 125cc. Even the United States is seeing renewed interest with small bike. Honda recently gave us the CBR250 and a new 250 dual sport, Kawasaki revamped it's Ninja 250, and will sell you a supersized version with 300ccs.

Kawasaki Ninja 300: Coming to America

Honda's Brazilian CB300R

KTM 125/250/300 Duke Coming Soon?

Even Triumph is supposed to introduced a small bike in India. 

The New Breed of Adventure Bikes

Big adventure bikes are a hot item a the moment. Just about every major manufacturer has dipped their toews into this segment. The European makes have really embraced this niche while the Japanese, with the exception of Yamaha's Super Tenere, seem halfhearted. Honda's Crosstourer is a reworked VFR1200, Kawasaki has made a Versys with a Ninja 1000 engine, and Suzuki as brought it's old V-Strom 1000 back from the dead. 

KTM looks to square off with the new generation of big soft-roading adventure bikes. The new 1190cc Adventure bike seems perfectly comparable to the new Tiger Explorer 1200 and still fresh Multistrada 1200.  For the most part this bikes are a little softer than their predecessors. The new KTM seems especially less rugged compared to the 990.

BMW the god father of this segment (and most popular) is expected to produce a liquid cooled boxer. With a bump in displacement to distinguish itself form the current, oil cooled, boxer the model will likely be the called the R1250GS. This would leave Moto Guzzi with the only bike in this segment lacking a radiator (the Stelvio has an oil cooled twin). Even Aprilia has plans to jump back into the game. Modifying their Dorsoduro 1200 to create a new Coponord.  

Rise of the Midsize Adventure bike!

(picture rudely taken form HellforLeather)

BMW in there quest to expand their moto-empire developed the F800. The F800 is one of many products BMW introduced over the last few years to increase market share and attract younger riders with smaller displacement motorcycles. The GS flavored F800 has proven to be a solid seller, thus Triumph took note while developing a mid-sized version of their adventure bike. The new Triumph Tiger has an engine based on the Daytona/Street Triple 675, however the engine size was bumped up to 800 to match the BMW. Now we have a nice sub-niche carved out. Will this encourage others to move up for the usual 600-700cc size?

Would the Honda Transalp grow from 700 to 800cc? Maybe, but Honda has previewed the "Crossrunner" concept with a downsized VFR V4 displacing 800cc's, so there will be at least one semi-adventure bike from Honda with 800cc's.

What about an 800cc Yamaha Tenre? Perhaps, but the Tenre is more of a dirtbike based adventurer, and 800cc's is a lot for a single. (but Suzuki has done it with the DR800)

Speaking of Suzuki we were teased with promos for an "new adventure bike," what we got was a mild refresh of the same DL650 V-strom. Suzuki had an excellent opportunity to jump into the game, but decided to play it safe with the same old product.

Could Kawasaki pump up the 650 twin in the Versys? I'm sure it's possible, but the Versys isn't really much of an adventure bike to begin with.

Aprilia and KTM would fit this market like a glove.

Personally I like this trend. An 800cc bike strikes a nice balance between the wimpy 600's and the heavy 1000+'s.

Two Fifties!

It looks like Honda is jumping into the baby bike business. Kawasaki has as been the sole provider of pint-sized sports bikes for nearly 20 decades. (Well, you could buy an Aprilia 125 or a Hyosung 250 but neither of those bikes are exactly "mainstream.") The 250 is a big seller for Kawasaki, and while it doesn't boast a huge profit margin, those sales have some advantages. When gas prices spike in the US small bikes the the 250 are very popular, not to mention a great way to new motorcyclist interested in your brand.

Honda's 250 aims directly for the Ninja. Prices are near identical, the CBR uses a fuel injected single while the Ninja features a carbed twin. The Ninja makes more power, but the Honda weighs less. With fuel prices up and the economy down logic would tell you that small bikes are going to be easier to sell than big bikes. That coupled with Honda's name and some sharp looks should do the CBR250R well.

If the Ninja and CBR are hits one has to wonder; who's next? Where's Yamaha and Suzuki in all this? KTM could surely produce a bike in this class, maybe Triumph too. How about a super single form Ducati? or an Aprilia RS250? This leads me to my next point...

Small displacement bikes make up the majority of motorcycles outside the USA. Based on rules and regulations different sizes are popular in different parts of the world. In the UK 125cc bikes are a must for beginners, in India 150cc bikes are popular, Japan has different levels as well with 250 and 400cc bikes being big sellers. What we're left with is a hodgepodge of different bikes made for specific markets. It would be nice to see some consistency and globalization of these small bikes, maybe then motorcycle manufacturers would be encouraged to offer one strong product world wide.

Motorsport of the Month:Superchargers of the TT

The Isle of Man is a magical place. This tiny slice of heaven sandwiched between England and Ireland has hosted perhaps the greatest spectacle of motorcycle racing since 1907. For most of the early years of the race 500cc singles were the main event, but in the 1930's Motorcycle manufacturers turned their attention and decided to use a secret weapon, the supercharger.

An early "works" bike, the NSU 500SS for 1931.













1930's Norton International 500

Despite the increasing competition, Norton dominated the 500cc TT through most of the 1930's.







1930's AJS Racer













1939, the last year before the before the TT went on hiatus due to the war, was an exciting year for exotic racing machines.


1935-39 AJS V4 Supercharged

The V4 Supercharged was a interesting bike, unfortunately it usually had technical problems and it never won a TT. The last year (1939) was water cooled.







1939 BMW Type 255 Kompressor

After a few years of trying BMW won its first TT in 1939.











The TT returned in 1947, but superchargers did not. Later the TT would align with Gran Prix racing. Superchargers would never return to motorcycle racing.

1954 Norton Manx














1953 AJS Porcupine E95 500














1954 BMW Rennsport












1953 NSU Rennmax

Not for US(A), bikes you can't buy: Yamaha

Yamaha has a much wider range of motorcycle for customers outside the US. In fact Yamaha America only seems to offer a couple of sportbikes, a couple of standards, some dual sports, and sh*t ton of cruisers. In Europe it seems, there are more options.


MT-01

We all saw it when it debuted a few years ago, but Yamaha decided that Americans would buy such a beast. They were probably right. Even thought the MT-01 tries to combine a giant v-twin with a sporty stylish chassis, I think it's too different for American consumers. While we seem to buy a lot of cruisers and sportbikes, I don't think we're ready for a combination.







MT-03

A smaller kinder gentler version of the -01 with half as many cylinders.









XT660 Tenere

The XT was available in the US a long time ago, elsewhere in the world it evolved into and adventure tourer not unlike Kawasaki's KLR650.








XT660X

Like the WR250X the big XT660 has a super moto cousin.









FZ1

In Europe the FZ1 doesn't have a faring, and in the states we don't get the "Fazer" nike name.









TDM900

Long ago the TDM model was sold in US showrooms. Like the Honda Transalp, however, Americans just didn't fall in love with the adventure dual sport niche. In Europe however the TDM has evolved nicely.







FZ6

In the US we get the FZ6, but not the naked, naked version.











XJR1300

This is Yamaha's version of the leftover dinosaur UJM bike, it seems ironic that some of the biggest badest street bike Japan makes aren't available in the US of A.






XJ6

This is another case of a long gone US model continuing on overseas. The XJ6 name was used on Yamaha's standards during the 1980's. Today it's still used on their tamed 600ccers.