English Motorcycles Timeline

I've uploaded some Brit-bike timelines. The first is an illustration of all the merging that occurred in the English motorcycle industry. The second is a basic lifespan of some major British manufacturers.

Triumph Timeline

Here's the Triumph timeline

Motorsport of the Month: Trials

Motorcycle Trial competitions might just be the most entertaining motorsport to watch. Competitors maneuver their machines as if they were weightless. Wheelies, stoppies, bunny hops all look effortless, but make no mistake these riders have some serious skill. Riders must ride through an obstacle course with out putting a foot down. A point is added every time a rider puts his/her foot down. If the rider gets 5 or more points they fail.

Trial bikes are designed to be lightweight and maneuverable as possible. They are characterized by bare bones aluminum frames, tiny fuel tanks and the absence of a seat are trademarks of the modern trial bike. In the 1970's trial bikes were little more than small street bikes with knobby tires. Today there is a cottage industry for these specialized machines. Companies like Gas Gas and Beta create special chassis with motors from manufacturers like Honda or Rotax. Trial bike competitions don't have much of a presence in the Untied States. In Europe however they are more popular.


Here's an excellent video by Graham Sapsford of Trial's legend Dougie Lampkin showing off to promote the Goodwood festival of speed.

Yamaha Timeline

Here's the Yamaha timeline so far. You may notice it's a bit rough, but you can expect revisions in the future. Oh and the Triumph time line will be out shortly as well.

Adventure Bikes part 3: Heavyweights

If there's one bike that embodies the adventure bike theme it is the BMW GS (meaning Gelände/Straße or off road/on road). This bike is the original purpose built world traveler. BMW built the first GS model in 1980 off the "air head" R80 motorcycle. Like all BMW's of that era the bike had an air cooled horizontally opposed twin. The GS model evolved with the rest of the BMW twin line; from the air head to the oil head to today's modern "hex head". Along the way there have been special GS's too. Early air head had the "Paris-Dakar" models, named after the famous off road rally. For the 1150 and 1200cc models there is the "Adventure" model which is even more suited for global travel. Today the BMW

BMW R1200GS







If there's one bike that could challenge the GS for it's adventure touring crown it would be the KTM LC8 Adventure. The Adventure was launched in 2003 as a road going version of KTM's Paris-Dakar racer. Powering the Adventure is the LC8 a liquid cooled V twin. The Adventure is gained a lot of popularity the world over for it's mix of off capabilities and road road handling capabilities.


KTM 990 Adventure








There a handful of other large adventure bike as well. Most of them didn't sell well and aren't available today. Bikes like these include the Suzuki DL1000 V-Strom, the Triumph Tiger 955i, and the Aprilia CapoNord. The Suzuki V-Strom 1000 is still available but is often over looked but it's smaller brother the V-Strom 650. The Triumph Tiger was a popular adventure bike but with the redesign in 2007 the bike has become more of a standard, than an adventure tourer. Aprilia no longer offers the CapoNord. The Ducati Multistrada may also be considered, though it is not intended for any off roading. Moto Guzzi has also introduced a new adventure model.

Triumph Tiger 955i








Suzuki DL1000 V-Strom







Aprilia ETV CapoNord

Adventure Bikes part 2: Middleweight Hybrids

The next category of adventure motorcycle is the group of bikes that are for dirt and road. These differ from the thumpers in that that they have more than one cylinder and are generally more street oriented. These types of bikes are popular in Europe. Sales for these bikes in the United States have never taken off, but interest is growing with models like Suzuki's V-Strom. The model of this type was the Honda Transalp. The Transalp was based off of Honda's V-twin Hawk, and was intended to be a road going version of their Paris-Dakar African Twin. The Transalp was only available in the US for a short time but in Europe the bike flourished. Yamaha's TDM was also sold in the US for a short time, but was dropped due to low sales. Like the Honda, the Yamaha TDM is a dual-purpose liquid cooled twin, made for on/off road touring. Suzuki's V-Strom motorcycles are based off the popular Suzuki SV bikes (650 and 1000cc's). These are the only Japanese machines of their type to have caught on in the US. Kawasaki recently released their own version of this type of bike the Versys, which is based off the company's Ninja 650 model. Finally BMW introduced the GS version of their new F800 parallel twin bike. The F800GS fits nicely in between the F650 and the R1200 in BMW's line up.

Honda Transalp
700cc V-twin
60hp
214kg
1987-present





Yamaha TDM 900
900cc parallel twin
78hp
198kg
1991-present




Suzuki V-Strom
650cc V-twin
67hp
194kg
2004-present




Kawasaki Versys
650cc parallel twin
60hp
181kg
2007-present




BMW F800GS
800cc parallel twin
85hp
178kg
2008-present

Adventure Bikes part 1: Thumpers

The most basic adventure bikes are those that are derived from dirtbikes. These bikes are larger variations of trail bikes. What these bikes lack in off road maneuverability of smaller bikes, they make up in road worthiness. They are the smallest, simplest, and most off road capable option. These bikes are generally the most affordable as well. The best examples of these bikes include; the Kawasaki KLR650, Suzuki DR650, and the Honda XR650. These bikes date back to the late 1980's and have changed little since. They are all characterized by 650cc carburated singles, long travel suspension with DOT knobby tires. The KLR is especially popular for world travelers, and has become known as the "jeep" of adventure bikes.

Honda XR650R

Suzuki DR650








Kawasaki KLR650







More expensive examples from Europe are also available. KTM and Husqvarna offer large 600cc+ enduros. KTM also offers their 690 Adventure a purpose built bike made for long distances and off road conditions. The 640 Adventure is KTM's single cylinder version of their mighty 990 Adventure. BMW sells their Rotax powered F650 singles as well. Like KTM the F650 is possitioned as a "little brother" to BMW's flagship R1200GS model line. In Europe Yamaha sells the XT660 single which comes different levels of off road ability.

BMW F650 Dakar









KTM 640 Adventure








Yamaha XT660 Tenere








Of course there are other example of adventure tourers. These are just some of the more popular mainstream adventure singles out there.

A Guide to Adventure Bikes

What's an "adventure bike"? Any motorcycle that takes the rider on an adventure (rather than say short/routine trips). Typically adventure bikes are a blend of dirt and road motorcycle. It seems as though any motorcycle can qualify to be an adventure bike, but motorcycle manufacturers have made specialized machines just for "adventures". To me there's three general categories that adventure bikes fit into; oversized dirtbikes, dirt-worthy street bikes, and the BMW GS. I'm going to cover all three, in three quick and dirty features.