National News

IRVINE, CA – The COVID-19 pandemic turned lives upside down in 2020, but what it didn’t do was have a negative impact on motorcycle sales in the United States. Just the opposite. Motorcycle and scooter sales rose 11.4 percent. Indeed the broader power sports industry saw its sales increase 18.4 …

BREA, CA – Suzuki is out today with a new Hayabusa sport model for 2022 that has fewer pounds, fresh styling and better performance. More than 550 new or redesigned parts make the Hayabusa “all-new” yet “instantly recognizable,” the company says. While there’s no mistaking it, the 2022 Hayabusa is …

FOOTHILL RANCH, CA – It was inevitable, predictable and overdue. Three years after discontinuing the KLR650, a single-cylinder, dual-sport model that endured for more than 30 years, Kawasaki is bringing it back for the 2022 model year. The new KLR650 will have fuel injection, a fractionally larger engine (652cc versus …

MILWAUKEE – It’s likely been stated many times that changing the direction of a major corporation can be like maneuvering an ocean liner. It’s a process that needs to be done gradually and, hopefully, with precision. That’s certainly true for Harley-Davidson. The company unveiled its 2021 model-year lineup this morning, …

MALIBU, CA – Perhaps the biggest deterrent to buying an electric motorcycle is price. A Harley-Davidson LiveWire costs upwards of $30,000. An Energica Eva EsseEsse9 has a price tag of $21,250, while the Zero SR/S lists at $19,995. Sure, Zero’s entry FX on-road/off-road model can be had for only $9,295, …

MANDELLO DEL LARIO, Italy – Moto Guzzi’s classic V7 model gets a power boost for 2021 with an 850cc, 65 horsepower engine replacing the 744cc, 52 horsepower power plant that has been used in the model since its introduction in 2007. Moto Guzzi’s website today declares that “a new V7 …

VARESE, ITALY – Most riders can’t afford one. Indeed, most riders will never see one in person. Nonetheless, in a worldwide press unveiling via Zoom this morning, super premium Italian motorcycle brand MV Agusta revealed its newest model – the limited edition Superveloce Alpine. The racey model represents, in the …

BOLOGNA, Italy – It’s a sport model that was introduced in 1993 and has sold more than 350,000 copies. For 2021, Ducati has again updated its Monster, dropping the number that’s attached to its outgoing Monster 821 model. The new Monster is powered by a 937cc Testastretta twin-cylinder engine that …

Never a company prone to leaking new model info prior to an actual announcement, Harley-Davidson’s plans have become even more open to speculation since the appointment of Jochen Zeitz as president and CEO back in May (after being given the posts on an “acting” basis in February). Zeitz has slashed …

TORRANCE, CA – Honda has announced an all-new brawnier sibling to go with its entry-level Rebel 300 and Rebel 500 cruiser models – the mid-sized 2021 Rebel 1100. The Rebel 1100 is powered by a 1,084cc parallel twin, a repurposed version of the engine found in its Africa Twin adventure …

RIDE-CT & RIDE-New England readers are a hardy and determined bunch, not deterred from riding their motorcycles by the cold weather that comes in late autumn and continues through winter, results of the website’s latest poll reveal. The poll, which ran from Oct. 17 through Nov. 24, showed that 40 …

What’s the difference between “new” and “all-new?” That’s the first question that came to mind upon gazing at Kawasaki’s press release issued this morning that announced five fresh models for 2021. Three are described as “all-new” while two get a “new” label, suggesting the latter are simply models that have …

The 10-day Sturgis Motorcycle Rally, held in August in South Dakota, helped fuel the spread of the coronavirus, according to a new study by health officials in Minnesota released Friday. The study, published Friday by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention in Atlanta, revealed that 86 cases of …

MEDINA, MN – After 12 years at the helm as CEO and chairman of Indian Motorcycle’s parent company, Polaris Inc., Scott Wine is leaving at year’s end to become CEO of London-based CNH Industrial, N.V. CNH Industrial is the maker of Case and New Holland agricultural equipment. Scott Wine In …

It was done successfully with Triumph, and while the jury is still out on whether a revived Norton brand will ultimately succeed, plans are underway to begin building BSA models again. Possibly as soon as mid-2021. Billionaire Anand Mahindra, chairman of the India-based Mahindra Group, tells “The Guardian” newspaper in …