ridert s45y

RING DING RETROSPECTIVE Yamaha DT125 MX

ARIZONA/NEW MEXICO TOUR TEST

KTM 790 ADVENTURE

Bagger Supremacy Harley-Davidson Road Glide Special vs Indian Challenger Limited

Riding the Rolling Palouse in Washington Secrets of the South Carolina Coast

TOUR REVIEW: Adriatic Intriguing SE Europe

FEBRUARY 2020

M O T O R C Y C L I N G AT I T S B E S T

RiderMagazine.com

RIDDEN & RATED Radical Arch KRGT-1

E804/E805 Adventure Trail Series Tire

With superior handling and dual sport technology, these tires are ideal for riders who spend 40% on and 60% off road.

Come rain or shine, you’re good to go!

ShinkoTireUSA.com

FEBRUARY 2020 VOLUME 47 NO. 02

departments 8

De-Localizing

10

RESPONSE

12

KICKSTARTS

14

Finding a fun way to New Mexico on a KTM 790 Adventure.

Letters to the Editor

2020 Triumph Tiger 900s

RIDING AROUND Ridden & Rated: Arch KRGT-1

18

ROAD TALES

20

RIDING WELL

51

38

ONE-TRACK MIND

Does a Motorcycle Have Character?

The Times They Are A-Changin’

FAVORITE RIDE Land of Swamp and Sand

54

TIPS, TRICKS & ANSWERS

56 58

NEW & COOL

61 66

RIDER’S MALL

Got Carburetors?

32

44

58

GEAR LAB HJC i10 Helmet Quad Lock Smartphone Case and Mount Aether Divide Jacket and Pants

RETROSPECTIVE Yamaha DT125 MX: 1977-1981

22 RIDER COMPARO Battle of the Baggers RING DING RETROSPECTIVE Yamaha DT125 MX

RiderMagazine.com

RIDDEN & RATED Radical Arch KRGT-1

ARIZONA/NEW MEXICO TOUR TEST

KTM 790 ADVENTURE

Bagger Supremacy

100 Percent

Supreme beings: 2020 Harley-Davidson Road Glide Special vs. Indian Challenger Limited.

Exploring Arizona and New Mexico on a KTM 790 Adventure.

32 ON THE ROAD

44 TOUR REVIEW

Palouse le Trek

Adventurous Streak

Riding through a post-impressionist painting in Washington State.

Intriguing Southeast Europe with Adriatic Moto Tours.

Harley-Davidson Road Glide Special vs Indian Challenger Limited

Riding the Rolling Palouse in Washington Secrets of the South Carolina Coast

TOUR REVIEW: Adriatic Intriguing SE Europe

FEBRUARY 2020

M O T O R C Y C L I N G AT I T S B E S T

ON THE COVER: The upstart Indian Challenger Limited takes on the classic Harley Road Glide Special. May the best bagger win! Photo by Kevin Wing.

38 TOUR TEST

R I D E R M AG A Z I N E .CO M / F E B R UA RY 2020 / 5

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ONE-TRACK MIND

MARK TUTTLE Editor-In-Chief

De-Localizing Believe in yourself. You are braver than you think, more talented than you know, and capable of more than you imagine.

—Roy T. Bennett ’ve always been a big believer in change. Not the jingly kind in your pocket or purse, but the life-affirming sort that gets you out of your comfort zone and forces you to walk a new path, break an old routine or even ride new roads. Racers find meaning in lapping the same circuit at greater and greater speeds, seeking the ultimate line around the track and perfecting when and where to brake and accelerate. Other motorcyclists are fulfilled by constant change, riding a highway or rounding a bend they’ve never seen before and may never see again, or exiting a corner and appreciating a new scene or vista for the first and maybe only time.

I’ve always been in the latter camp (and not just because I’m too slow to be a racer), from the first long ride I made from Escondido around Palomar Mountain on my Honda XL500 at the (mostly) innocent age of 16, to the 10day lap of Southern France my wife Genie and I took last year, celebrating my ninth tour (near as we can tell) with Edelweiss Bike Travel. Bombing down the side of Palomar on South Grade Road for the first time is indelibly stamped on my temporal lobes, especially since—rounding a blind right corner on the famously sinuous road—there was a peacock with fully spread plumage smack in the middle of my lane showing off for a peahen on the shoulder. How I got around him escapes me, but I hope he lived to court that lass and raise a flock of peafowl.

Genie and I have been on a dozen or more overseas tours with operators like Ayres Adventures and MotoQuest in addition to Edelweiss, but there were so many new life-affirming experiences on our Southern France ride that no single one trumps another. Crossing the 8,688-foot Col du Galibier through the narrow window of rock atop it—two-up, in a cold wind—stands out as one of those “We did it!” moments that make me want to get out there and do rides like it again and again. And the view of the gnarled massifs in the Gorges du Tarn was mindblowing, too, enough so that I often dream about riding the switchbacked road up the side.

There’s a phenomenon sometimes experienced by motorcycle owners—let’s call it “localizing”—that occurs after they have ridden every road, taken every ride within a day or two of home several times, and suddenly find them-

I

8 / F E B R UA RY 2020 / R I D E R M AG A Z I N E .CO M

selves less interested in riding. Rather than just gearing up and going, excuses not to ride come more readily to mind—it’s too cold, the bike needs an oil change, there are chores to do—and the bike ends up sitting for yet another weekend. It’s a perfectly natural reaction to repetition, like riding an exercise bike every day—pretty soon it can become a clothing tree.

The cures for localizing are numerous, and many are simple and cheap. At the most basic level, joining a riding club adds a social aspect to the experience that is the kicker for a lot of people—sharing the ride with likeminded motorcyclists is often just as fulfilling as the ride itself. And what the heck—we can all use more friends who share our interests. Another simple trick is to break your routine in some unusual way—put on a bunch of miles before breakfast, for example, and try a new place every time. It’s hard to screw up breakfast after all, and once you’re done eating you’ll be at the starting point of a somewhat different ride.

Of course the guaranteed, foolproof cure for localizing is to banish the same old roads from your repertoire and get majorly ex-local. Jump on the interstate at 7 a.m., and you can be 250 miles away by lunchtime in the middle of a brand new-to-you riding area, like the Natchez Trace, Great Smoky Mountains National Park or the Black Hills and Badlands of South Dakota. Enjoy it for the afternoon, pitch a tent or grab a cheap motel, and you can be home by lunchtime the next day. If your bike isn’t well suited to long drones on the superslab, consider using a truck or trailer to get it to the start of the good stuff. Nothing wrong with that if your bike of preference is a dual-sport or smaller machine, and you can easily recruit a riding buddy to go with you to help load and unload.

The ultimate de-localizer is an organized tour in the U.S. or abroad, because they combine the (sometimes desirably temporary) social aspect of a group ride with the option to stay in touch, and the always amazing experience of riding new roads in new places with different people, food and cultures. Many organized tours are quite affordable, the domestic ones in particular—see the lists of USA and International Tour Companies on our website. And if you’re at all intimidated by the idea of planning, packing for and braving the travel hurdles associated with taking an organized tour, don’t be—not only are you very likely to have a safe and wonderful time, when you get home those old roads will seem new again, I promise.

LETTERS TO THE EDITOR

RESPONSE

Rider Response 1227 Flynn Road, Suite 304 Camarillo, CA 93012 -ORrider@ridermagazine.com

Letter of the Month MARK TUTTLE’S OCTOBER 2019 review of the Honda CB500X was excellent, and highlights the “sweet spot” qualities of the motorcycle. However, he states that these qualities make it “a great main ride for beginners HONDA READY CB500X and a nice second bike for commuting and short rides.”

FOR On the contrary, it is a great main ride for experienced riders and a sport-touring bike for long rides. Having ridden for 35 years now, I became more and more disillusioned with the weight and thirstiness of bikes with twice the power and twice the weight. My old 1100 twin got 35 mpg, less than my Ford Fusion sedan, and MEXICO plowed into corners rather than traipsing through them as the CB500X does. So after purchasing a CB500X, I rode it to Alabama and Iowa from my home in Virginia, two 2,000-plus-mile rides. Then this summer I rode it from California to Virginia, a ride of 4,500 miles, averaging 65 mpg and with a permanent smile on my face. Even with panniers and a full load of camping equipment, the CB500X had enough power to top the Cascades, the Rockies and the Sand Hills of North Dakota, as well as to push through the headwinds of Wyoming and Iowa. What a lovely bike. A lot of experienced riders are foregoing heavy and complicated bikes, and the CB500X is indeed a “sweet spot.”

Bandido PAUL HENDERSON Textile Jacket Charlottesville, Virginia GROUP RIDING 101

Breathe Right

Flying in Formation

M O T O R C Y C L I N G AT I T S B E S T

RiderMagazine.com

ALL ABOUT AIR FILTERS

MIND-BLOWING BIKES AT THE QUAIL GATHERING

Exotic Northeastern

OCTOBER 2019

Riding the Ohio River Valley

You make a good point, Paul—bigger, heavier and thirstier doesn’t necessarily mean better. To keep you safe and comfortable on your CB500X, Motonation would like to send you a Bandido jacket. Congratulations on yours being chosen as our Letter of the Month!

HEARTFELT GRATITUDE Mark, as an ex-MSF Rider Coach and heart failure survivor I enjoyed your December One-Track Mind regarding the importance of heart health. It is impossible to be a safe rider when your heart does not work well. In a hospital bed in 2013, as a response to a challenge from my wife, I embraced the goal of touching all four corners of the continental U.S. on my BMW RT. That goal was one of the things that kept me on course to get back to my former life, sort of like a North Star. Chemo treatments in 2004 killed the Stage 4 Non-Hodgkin’s Lymphoma that was percolating through my body, but the side effects destroyed my heart. So in 2013 the wonderful folks at University of Nebraska Medical Center installed a mechanical pump (LVAD) along with a defibrillator in my chest. It was a pretty constrained way to live: I wore a fishing vest with two large batteries in the pockets and a controller around my waist, but still managed to get back on my motorcycle several months later. Six months later 1 0 / F E B R UA RY 2020 / R I D E R M AG A Z I N E .CO M

I experienced the miracle of my life when I received a heart transplant.

Six months after that, I began to fulfill my goal of touching the first corner (Cape Flattery, Washington).

From my Iowa home, I traveled to one corner at a time and, two years and more than 18,000 miles later, celebrated by visiting the southwest corner, south of Chula Vista, California. In the five-plus years since, I do all I can to care for this heart, which is not mine. This wonderful gift is 22 years younger than the rest of me and works perfectly! (My 2011 RT just turned over 93,000 miles and runs as well as this heart.)

STEVE MARTIN via email

WISH BOOK Just read Eric Trow’s “Wish Book” article (Riding Well, December 2019) and it brought back very pleasant childhood memories. That Sears catalog truly was the Amazon of my childhood, except I was lusting after the Allstate (Puch) motorcycles and (Cushman) scooters. This was in the 1950s, before Stingray bikes and twist-grip throttles with motorcycle sounds; we used balloons and playing cards to achieve that effect. My parents did let me have a Red Rider BB gun but a scooter was out of the question. I had a paper route when I was 10—six miles a day on a bicycle, 365 days a year. I cleared about 40 bucks a month, a fortune for a kid in the 1950s. I found a junked-out Allstate scooter in another kid’s backyard, not running, sitting on flat tires, and bought it for $2.50, five rolls of pennies. My folks were upset, but didn’t think I could get it running so they were not worried. That was how I learned how to wrench and ride. Took about a month to get it running; rode it for about a year and sold it for $50 to buy a newer, fancier Montgomery Ward (Lambretta) scooter, also not

running, but it only took a couple of weeks to get it going. At 14 I bought my first real motorcycle, a WWII surplus Harley WLA 45. It was in bits and pieces in a barn and I paid $45 for it. This one took several months and a couple hundred dollars to get running; I remember having to buy a new seat that cost more than I paid for the bike. Wish I had kept those three bikes.

I have been riding for more than 60 years now, guess I have owned more than 30 bikes, still own four, and have ridden hundreds of thousands of miles. It all started with a Sears catalog. Thanks for the memories.

JOHNNY BONDS Mount Ida, Arkansas

PIE FAUX PAS Tim Kessel painted a lovely picture of New Mexico in his December article, “Riding Central New Mexico.” However, I didn’t understand one sentence that he penned about halfway through the piece. “It is too early for pie…,” he wrote. Perhaps Tim was affected by altitude changes on his trip? Or the fresh desert air? In any case, I offer this correction: it is never too early— nor too late—for pie! Please advise when Tim has come to his senses.

Crusty, berry-filled regards, RICK PANNEMANN Bellingham, Washington

PRICELESS I loved the piece on Arai helmets (“Inside Arai,” December 2019); the family history and hand craftsmanship are inspiring. In the early 1980s when working in dealerships I wondered about the much higher cost of Arai helmets compared to cheaper alternatives, but for many of our customers buying a different brand was unthinkable. Fastforward to 2001 and the vision that still hits me in the gut is of a Washington State highway patrolman holding my son’s gashed Arai Signet as he looks at the guardrail he just hit. My son had not worn any other safety apparel that day so he got a ride in a “bus” for some stitches, but the officer swore the Arai

saved his life. My son keeps that lid as a coffee table conversation piece and teaching point to this day.

On another note, I always enjoy Tim Kessel’s stories, but “too early for pie,” seriously?

BEN GETZ via email

SIMPLE REQUEST I enjoyed the comparo of three current Japanese middleweights in the December issue (“Multiple Personalities”), but found it lacking in one particular matter, as other tests have been. I really want to know if a bike has a centerstand. Perhaps this is because, after riding only shaftdriven motorcycles for many years, I switched to a chain-driven machine (a Triumph Sprint GT) and became a bit obsessive about cleaning and lubing the chain. In any case, I think chain maintenance is important and can’t be done easily without a centerstand.

Photos showing the obvious lack of a centerstand are revealing, but please tell us plainly if a bike comes with one or not, and if not whether one can be fitted as an option.

PAUL BETHGE Manchester, Massachusetts Thanks for the suggestion, Paul.

None of the bikes in this comparo are equipped with centerstands, nor are they available as accessories.

We’ll try to be more consistent about mentioning this in the future. For bikes without centerstands, chain maintenance can be made easier with a rear wheel stand (see various options and spool kits at pit-bull.com) or by using the SnapJack (available at snapjack.com). –JS

FORMATIVE MEMORIES Charles Fleming’s Favorite Ride, “Mission Sierra Nevada,” in the December issue brought back very fond memories of learning to ride the twisties on those same roads in the 1980s. It was there that I learned to ride and love technical, tight roads both up and down. That was ac-

complished by following my friend and mentor, Ken Chapman. He later became an instructor for Reg Pridmore’s CLASS track school. We met up at a rally in Mariposa. I rode from my home near Seattle, and Ken from the Ventura area. We spent five days after the rally riding the quintessential California roads in the southern Sierra stretching from Yosemite to Bodfish. They were five full riding days of heaven on Earth, where I learned that 300-plus miles in the mountains can equate to 750 on the flats. Those days helped to create the touring monster that I am today.

They also made me fall in love with riding in California. When I think of those roads I see in my mind four-lane, rural highways becoming two lanes, two lanes turning narrow and narrow becoming one lane with no markings but sometimes with widely spaced pullouts for cars to pass each other. And finally hard dirt or gravel over the mountain passes before slowly opening up in reverse order, going from sparse or no habitation to ranchlands and towns.

Thanks for the memories, Charles and Rider magazine.

KAREN THOMSON Snohomish, Washington

COP TALK Recently retired after 40 years as a police officer, I would encourage riders to speak to their local “LEOs” (law enforcement officers) in regards to potential hazards to riders in their jurisdiction. You may get information on how to avoid moving and equipment violations that officers commonly cite.

LEOs are busy these days, however most enjoy an opportunity to educate the public on safety. It also allows us to get to know one another. Some areas have “coffee with a cop” and similar programs to pass information both ways. Having all the right training and equipment and speaking to a LEO doesn’t guarantee absolute safety, but it beats not doing anything.

RICHARD WANAMAKER via email

Letters to the editor with the writer's name, address and phone number should be sent to Rider Response, 1227 Flynn Road, Suite 304, Camarillo, California 93012, or emailed to rider@ridermagazine.com. Due to the volume of mail we receive we cannot respond to every letter personally; however, every letter is read by our entire staff.

R I D E R M AG A Z I N E .CO M / F E B R UA RY 2020 / 11

FOR THE LATEST HEADLINES FROM THE WORLD OF MOTORCYCLING, VISIT RIDERMAGAZINE.COM

KICKSTARTS 2020 Triumph Tiger 900 Larger engines and new frames, brakes, styling and lighting accompany the 2020 Tiger/GT/Pro (Pro shown at left) and Tiger Rally/ Pro (Pro shown above).

TRIUMPH HAS DECIDED TO SIMPLIFY things for 2020 by introducing five easy-toremember model designations for its updated middleweight adventure bike line: Tiger 900, Tiger 900 GT, Tiger 900 GT Pro, Tiger 900 Rally and Tiger 900 Rally Pro. The Tiger 900 and Tiger 900 GT/Pro models replace the more street-oriented XR models, and the Tiger Rally/Pro models replace the more off-road-oriented XC models.

The new 2020 Tiger 900 lineup is powered by a larger 888cc, DOHC, 4-valves-percylinder in-line triple that makes a claimed 94 horsepower and 64 lb-ft of torque, with more midrange power and 10% higher peak torque than its 799cc predecessor.

Triumph revised the Tiger 900 platform from the ground up, with a new modular, tubular-steel main frame and a bolt-on subframe, top-of-the-line Brembo Stylema

BMW Big Boxer The imminent introduction of BMW’s R 18 custom cruiser (as part of its ongoing Motorrad Heritage effort) is perhaps the company’s worst-kept secret, with the latest R 18/2 prototype slated for series production in 2020. Until recently, however, specific details on BMW’s largest-ever Big Boxer engine have been scarce. We now know that it will be air-cooled and vertically split, with a 107.1mm bore and 100mm stroke and 1,802cc, producing a claimed 91 horsepower at the crank at 4,750 rpm. Max torque of 116.5 lb-ft is reached at just 3,000 rpm, and redline is 5,750. To handle the enormous cylinder 1 2 / F E B R UA RY 2020 / R I D E R M AG A Z I N E .CO M

monoblock front calipers, new bodywork and new LED lighting.

Other new features vary by model— see our website for a complete list—with the Pro editions having the most electronic rider aids and conveniences such as cruise control and heated grips and seats. The Tiger 900, 900 GT and 900 GT Pro have 19-inch front/17-inch rear wheels and 31.9/32.7-inch seat heights, and the Tiger 900 Rally and Rally Pro have 21-inch front/17-inch rear wheels and 33.5/34.3 seat heights. Availability begins March/April, and pricing for the Tiger 900 starts at $12,500; pricing for the other models is TBD.

Recently unveiled in photos and video only, the R 18/2 is said to be very close to the 2020 production version.

volume, the forged crankshaft has a third main plain bearing in the center. Although the new engine has four valves per cylinder, dual ignition, modern combustion chamber architecture, intake manifold injection and BMS-O engine management, it uses a classic OHV configuration similar to the BMW R5/R51 of 1936-1941 and R51/2 of 19501951, with a pair of chain-driven camshafts inside the crankcase on the left and right, parallel to and above the crank. This allows the pushrods to be shorter and lighter. Each cam actuates two pushrods and forked rocker arms, one for the intake valves and one for the exhaust. Interestingly, valve adjustment is simple screw-and-locknut with 6,200-mile intervals. Power gets to the rear wheel via a non-unit,

Right, top: At 1,802cc, the Big Boxer engine for the R 18 is BMW's largest opposed twin to date...by far. Right, bottom: The first R 18 Concept bike was unveiled in Italy last May, at the Concourso d'Eleganza Villa d'Este. constant-mesh 6-speed transmission, single-plate dry clutch as in boxers of yore and an open shaft final drive.

Compared to the typical BMW opposed twin the Big Boxer is, well, big, weighing 244 pounds with coffee can-sized cylinders 11.5 inches long and 8 inches wide. It will be very interesting to see if BMW launches the R 18 line with one or both of the existing designs of the concept bikes, or adds/substitutes a bagger of some sort, as was originally rumored.

"Zen Motorcycle" Joins the Smithsonian The Smithsonian’s National Museum of American History will be the new home of American author Robert M. Pirsig’s 1966 Honda Super Hawk featured in his book, “Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance: An Inquiry

Into Values.” Pirsig’s book, originally published by William Morrow in 1974, has sold more than 5 million copies and has been translated into 27 languages. The inspiration for Zen stemmed from a month-long road trip Pirsig (1928–2017) took with his 11-year-old son Chris in 1968. As they rode the 5,700 miles from the Twin Cities of Minnesota to San Francisco and back, Pirsig became better acquainted with his son and himself.

Stored for decades in the family’s New England garage and recently mechanically restored, the motorcycle is a gift from Pirsig’s widow, Wendy K. Pirsig. The gift includes Pirsig’s leather jacket, maps, shop manual and other gear from the 1968 ride, together with his toolboxes, a manuscript copy and signed first

edition of “Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance.”

The book kickstarted an international cultural movement to rethink how people interact with technology and find balance in life, as it tells a story about the relationship between people and machines that made Pirsig a pioneer in the human-technology interface and do-it-yourself maintenance and repair.

“Bob’s philosophy explored human values, and he aimed to show how quality is actually at the center of all existence,” Wendy Pirsig said. “It seems consistent with this focus on quality that his motorcycle collection joins the nation’s exemplar y histor y museum at the Smithsonian.”

The museum is located in Washington, D.C., and is open daily from 10 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. (closed Dec. 25). Admission is free. For more information, visit https://americanhistory.si.edu.

R I D E R M AG A Z I N E .CO M / F E B R UA RY 2020 / 13

Story by JENNY SMITH Photography by ALESSIO BARBANTI/ARNAUD PUIG/ARCH MOTORCYCLE

RIDDEN & RATED

1

Passion Power Cruiser 2020 Arch KRGT-1

2

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Above: Billet aluminum, carbon fiber and steel...the KRGT-1 is an American power cruiser like no other. Each machine is handbuilt to order and can be customized for ergonomics and appearance, including the billet headlight cowl (1), which does a decent job of deflecting air. Nearly every piece of metal apart from the engine is machined billet aluminum—especially attractive when left bare (2). Even the two-piece gas tank (3) is carved from billet and requires more than 33 hours to complete. ou’ve probably heard of Keanu Reeves; he’s been in some pretty big movies over the last few decades.

But did you know he’s also a rider, a gearhead with an appreciation for the art that is engineered into certain motorcycles? And did you also know that he co-founded a small motorcycle company in Los Angeles that hand-builds each machine to order? That company is called Arch Motorcycle, and we were recently invited to ride its KRGT-1 in the mountains east of Pasadena, a suburb of Los Angeles. It’s the kind of invitation you don’t turn down.

Arch Motorcycle was born from circumstances that most of us can totally relate to: a guy (Keanu Reeves) had a motorcycle (an ’05 Harley Dyna) whose character (pure Americana) he loved…but he wanted more from it, specifically in the han-

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dling department. So he asked respected builder and owner of LA County Choprods, Gard Hollinger, if he could help. By 2012, all that remained of the original machine was the engine—everything else, including the frame and swingarm, had been recreated from scratch. “You know,” they said to each other, “we could make more of these.” And so Arch Motorcycle was born.

Despite a Harley-Davidson being the genesis of the KRGT-1, the production bike is powered by a massive 124ci (2,032cc) S&S mill that Arch modified with its own primary drive, powertrain and 45-degree downdraft intake system.

The frame is a steel and aluminum hybrid—steel downtubes and backbone, with machined aluminum clutching the rear of the engine and arcing over the rear wheel. In fact, nearly

Above: Machined aluminum parts wait on a shelf at the Arch factory in Hawthorne, California.

Keanu's passion for riding is readily apparent, as he can't seem to keep a smile off his face when he's around bikes. Many of the updates to the 2020 KRGT-1 are the result of his test rides into the twisties of the Santa Monica Mountains. every metal piece apart from the engine is machined billet aluminum, including the sculpted two-piece gas tank, which itself requires more than 33 hours to complete and serves as a stressed member of the frame. Fully adjustable suspension is by Ă–hlins and was developed in partnership with Arch specifically for the KRGT-1. The 48mm fork has a special carrier at the bottom to accommodate the massive six-piston ISR calipers (two-channel Bosch ABS is standard). Clutch and front brake assemblies are by Magura, carbon fiber wheels are by BST (Blackstone Tek), exhaust is by Yoshimura and tires are Michelin Commander IIs.

Settled into the deeply scooped saddle, feet on the narrow forward controls, we gradually wicked up the pace as we climbed the mountain, holding the throttle open a bit more and bending a bit deeper with every corner. Despite the 240-series rear tire, the KRGT-1 leans willingly and, once there, sticks stubbornly to its line. The long wheelbase helps but so does the stiff chassis and the downright amazing suspension, which was plush yet offered good feel and matched up well with some of the best front brakes of any bike I’ve yet ridden. And with a claimed 122 lb-ft of torque at the rear wheel it pulls like a

Arch Motorcycle occupies an unassuming building in an industrial park, but inside is an open-plan factory/showroom, where clients can consult with the team and each bike is hand-built from parts to completion in about 90 days.

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RIDINGAROUND

HELMET: ARAI SIGNET-X JACKET: ALPINESTARS GAL PANTS: IXS BOOTS: FALCO AYDA 2

This KRGT-1 was built to fit Mr. Reeves, who is several inches taller than me, but the reach to the Rizoma handlebar and serrated forward controls wasn't extreme and the scooped seat was surprisingly comfortable for our half-day test ride.

SPECS

freight train down low, although it runs out of juice fairly early—remember this is a power cruiser, not a superbike.

It’s clear this is a machine that has been tested and developed on twisting mountain roads, but it worked surprisingly well in city traffic as well. Sure, the clutch pull starts to feel a bit heavy and the S&S mill generates considerable heat, but throttle response is smooth and linear and the low-to-mid powerband feels flat as a pancake. Vibration from the rubber-mounted engine is readily apparent at stoplights but smoothes right out once underway. It cruises the city boulevards like, well, a cruiser should. In short, Gard, Keanu and team have actually created a bike worthy of the often over-used term “power cruiser.”

What makes the KRGT-1 special, however—and justifies its $85,000 price tag—is not just its performance. It’s the fact that when you buy one you’re getting a machine that is hand-built and made specifically for you. Each KRGT-1 is unique, curated by the Arch team with the client to create a motorcycle that is ergonomically and aesthetically bespoke.

In short, the bike is built to fit your body as well as to look the way you want it. So while it’s true that the KRGT-1 is a limitedproduction, hand-built, expensive piece of rolling art, it’s also a bike that performs better than it has any right to, and that is a direct result of the vision, passion and talent of Gard, Keanu and the entire Arch team.

2020 ARCH KRGT-1 Website: archmotorcycle.com Base Price: $85,000 Engine Type: Air-cooled, transverse 60-degree V-twin, DOHC, 2 valves per cyl.

Displacement: 124ci (2,032cc) Bore x Stroke: 104.8 x 117.5mm Transmission: Arch proprietary 6-speed w/ hydraulically-actuated dry clutch Final Drive: O-ring chain Wheelbase: 68.0 in.

Rake/Trail: 30 degrees/5.0 in.

Seat Height: 27.8 in.

Claimed Dry Weight: 538 lbs.

Fuel Capacity: 5.0 gals.

MPG: NA

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This is a bike that was designed for performance, not just sitting and looking pretty, as we discovered on our test ride on the curvaceous mountain roads east of Los Angeles.

By CLEMENT SALVADORI

Does A Motorcycle Have Character? t one of the many local motorcycle events that take place every summer there was a collection of bikes, old, new, clean, dirty, including my Suzuki V-Strom 650. And some guy was walking along with a couple of friends, demonstrating his knowledge... or perhaps better said, his ignorance. He was extolling the virtues of some of the performance motorcycles, and when he came to my ride he said, “Now, that’s a bike entirely without character.”

No character!? That bike had recently taken me over some seriously bad roads in a national forest, and done a darned good job of it. It was one of those bright sunny days with trees shrouding most of the way, dark shadows concealing the bumps and dips, the front wheel finding its own way. The suspension was bottoming out quite frequently, but still managing to keep me upright.

Two hundred years ago I might have challenged the doofus to a duel, but all I had on me was a modest Leatherman multitool—which probably would have worked if I’d held it in my fist after we’d agreed upon a bout of fisticuffs. Instead I intruded and asked, “What do you mean by character?” His slack answer: “Well, character is what makes a bike stand out. Like my Ducati Monster.”

That was a gross misuse of the term “character,” as used by those who would like to appear superior.

When character applies to people, it deals with the individual’s abilities, attributes and traits, and the same is true of motorcycles.

Now, we must admit that there is good character and bad character, in people and in motorcycles, but close to 100 percent of the 400-plus 2020 models will have fairly good character—depending on what you want to do and what the motorcycle you choose to buy wants to do.

Looks and performance are definitely part of character, but so is reliability—my favorite.

Street-legal bikes currently seem to be divided into half a dozen broad categories: touring, sport, cruiser,

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adventure, dual-sport and standard. And sizes, from humongous (anything over 2,000cc) to large to middling to lightweight. I learned on a friend’s Harley 125, and that little two-stroke had oodles of character, especially for two 15-year-old boys. My friend bought it cheap because the generator no longer generated, but the battery was good for a couple of hours and every evening he’d put it on a battery charger. Playing in the woods behind our houses we’d stall and restart the bike many times, and once we even got the engine running in the wrong direction. I let out the clutch, the darned thing went backwards, I quickly fell over, motor stalled. We were mystified, and after restarting the bike it went forwards. If that ain’t character I don’t know what is.

Touring comfort is often a desired characteristic, and a dozen of the big boys are available, with all sorts of differences. Most notable is engine design, be it a V-twin or a six-cylinder, opposed or in-line. Biggest challenge for me these days is the weight, as these bikes often weigh more than 700 pounds with fairing, bags and all the rest.

In my muscular youth I could easily pick one up, but now that I am a member of AARP, no more.

Once a year or so I drop a bike; not a crash, just a foot slipping, a bad U-turn. And I hope a couple of young people will pass by who are happy to help pick it up.

My own fragmented personality obviously has a multitude of characteristics, as in my many years of riding I’ve liked many different motorcycles. And owned different ones as well. My highmileage bike is currently a 2002 Honda ST1100, with 94,000 on the odometer. I like to travel, and travel rapidly, so this sport-touring model has an ability that suits me. In my motorcycle fund I actually have the money to buy a new, reasonably priced model, but I keep the ST because its character suits my needs. It has a large fuel tank (more than seven gallons) under the seat, and with fuel mileage at better than 40 mpg, it means I can go

When character applies to people, it deals with the individual’s abilities, attributes and traits, and the same is true of motorcycles.

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a long way before stopping. The bike is comfortable enough that I can ride for three or four hours straight, with that flat saddle and well-integrated saddlebags making it easy to throw a leg over. A useful little knob can be turned to make sure the headlight is properly aligned, no matter what my load; I do enjoy simplicity.

My first bike was a used 1954 NSU 250 Max. I knew nothing about overhead camshaft singles or single-shock rear suspension, both of which the bike had, but the price tag aligned with my wallet. Turned out its character was perfect for a new rider, only problem being a tendency to bend the intake valve when over-revved. That happened twice in two years, and, admittedly, was the rider’s fault—that was me.

Second bike was a high-mile 1951 Indian Chief, Sunshine Yellow, bought to celebrate my 1958 graduation from high school. This attracted a lot of admiring attention for its looks, but suffered some unfortunate attributes, like bad brakes and

a tendency to blow head gaskets.

Age and abuse had taken its toll on this bike...just like time can turn a pleasant person into a crotchety old man. And while we have restoration shops that can do wonders on an old bike, we don’t yet have the same technology for the human body.

While I have owned a couple of dozen bikes, in the 40 years I’ve been writing for the motorcycle magazines I’ve probably ridden 5,000 or more test machines, and written up a few. And forgotten most of them. Would that be because they lacked character? No! My memory, part of my personal character, is like my filing drawers... they are overly full. These test bikes all had their own good points, with a few bad points, and to remember I only have to find the road test. Moto Guzzi Centauro? October 1998.

One characterful bike I ended up not testing was the Honda Reflex, a curious attempt at making a streetlegal trials bike. A serious trials rider spends 99 percent of his time

standing up on the pegs, climbing over huge obstacles and going up nearly vertical cliffs. The 200cc Reflex weighed just a little more than 200 pounds and was easy, and often necessary, to pick up, but that seating position was decidedly uncomfortable, even for a half-hour ride to some suitable terrain...as I soon found out. The very tight turning radius made riding through a dry riverbed of broken rocks fun, but it lacked stability on the road. Fortunately top speed was about 55 mph.

Honda imported a bunch in 1986, sold only half, and then rebadged the rest as 1987s.

Back to my Wee-Strom. It enjoys excellent character, being very reliable, good on both paved and unpaved roads, and having a comfy seating position. When the Monster owner wanted to slip away from my boring discourse I gracefully bade farewell with: “Don’t worry. Your bike has lots of character.” Though not a type that necessarily appeals to me.

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By ERIC TROW

STAYINSAFE.COM

The Times They Are A-Changin’ think I may have inadvertently been born in the wrong era. It’s odd, but I’ve always been drawn to an earlier time in history. I’ve tended to embrace the post-war years when American patriotism was at an all-time high and people were hopeful. When the hot-rodding culture was in its infancy. And when soda shops, coffee shops and steel diners were popular community gathering places. (The Miracle Mile Shopping Center parking lot where my friends tended to hang out just wasn’t quite as endearing.) I always had a thing for older motorcycles and cars as well, being drawn to the classic, rounded styling much more than the squarish vehicles popular in my youth.

As long as I can remember, I’ve loved to linger indefinitely in old family-owned hardware stores where one could explore everything from hammers to hedge clippers to hog-ring pliers and International Harvester parts. Heck, I even liked the way gas station attendants (remember those?), milkmen (ditto?) and TV repairmen (double ditto?) wore smart-looking, neatly pressed uniforms. And, if I thought I wouldn’t have been laughed out of my school and neighborhood, I almost certainly would have donned a fedora at the drop of a hat. Those were just plain cool. From my outof-date perspective anyway.

Need more proof? As a teenager, when it came to music I was clearly out of sync with all of my friends and contemporaries.

While they were listening to everything from Aerosmith to Zeppelin, I was spinning old vinyls by the Hi-Lo’s, the Four Freshmen and a progressive jazz vocalese group known as Lambert, Hendricks and Ross. These old groups helped me learn to sing tight and complex harmonies and may have been what ultimately led to me working for many years as a professional studio singer performing on countless commercial jingles. Exposure to that music unquestionably made me a better vocalist, but it didn’t exactly put me in with my high school crowd. I still don’t really know the lyrics to any of the pop songs of my youth.

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Nor can I consistently name the group that performed them with any accuracy.

Clearly, I have shown a keen fondness for the beforemy-time past. But I do recognize there are distinct times when I need to have my head firmly in the present. Sure, my mind has been known to regularly drift off to other places and times, but when on a motorcycle I am distinctly and deliberately in the current moment. And maybe even a little ahead of the times.

Whether you have a modern mindset or relate better to earlier times, here are a few timely and timeless strategies we can all apply to our riding right now. So, come along with me on a little road trip into the past, the present and the future that can be found on every ride.

Tune in to the current Top 40.

Regardless of what era of music you move to, there is one constant: popular music has always evolved.

What was hot one week was soon demoted to a less important position by something else that was hotter the next week. Out on the road, we have our own version of the Top 40, where the things that deserve our attention are constantly evolving as we roll along. But instead of shifting from week to week, what’s “hot” and what’s not changes from moment to moment.

That’s why it’s important to keep our minds actively tuned in to the road at all times, making certain we are continually aware when information shifts from being a top hit worthy of our attention to becoming old news that we can leave behind.

Imagine the World of Tomorrow. Or at least the next 12 seconds. Although I relate to an earlier time in history, the funny thing is, back in those days people spent a whole lot of time thinking about what the future might look like.

They imagined putting a man in space and onto the moon.

They built prototypes of futuristic vehicles that would someday drive themselves. Every Saturday morning, “The Jetsons” projected a time when home life would be fully automated. That forward thinking led to the advancements

Sure, my mind has been known to regularly drift of to other places and times, but when on a motorcycle I am distinctly and deliberately in the current moment. And maybe even a little ahead of the times.

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we enjoy today. As motorcyclists, we benefit by looking to the future as well. By getting our eyes up and our minds imagining all of the possibilities on the road that lies a dozen or so seconds ahead, we can see into our future and predict what might be developing. We can even make decisions in those moments that could have long-range impact on the rest of our lives. After all, a crash is a consequence of multiple causal factors being overlooked and unaddressed. So, imagine what might happen up the road, and then have your plan to assure the future ends up the way you envisioned it, back in your driveway at the end of another great ride.

Ride like it’s 1974. A few weeks ago, I picked up a very nice 1974 BMW R75/6. I admit that it was a purchase made to recapture a bit of my youth. I owned an identical classic black R75 back when I was in college (I bought it from my dad at a nicely discounted family price). As my soul (stirring) means of trans-

portation, I rode that bike day in and day out. And from coast to coast. I came to know it so intimately back then that the bike felt like an extension of myself. Today, some four decades later, as the machine and I reacquainted ourselves, I realized there had been a few changes since we last rode together. Sure, the bike magically took me back to some wonderful times and rekindled some great memories. But it also took me back to a time when motorcycles had much less effective brakes than modern machines. It has been easy to forget just how much forethought was needed on each ride back then.

Encountering every traffic light, every potential turning vehicle and every slowing car up ahead demanded that I factor in some extra time and space to account for the bike’s marginal stopping power. Riding the ’74 BMW the same way one might operate a modern bike with today’s technology would be foolish.

However, the more I thought about it, riding my modern motorcycles as

if they had less braking power than they really do might not be a bad practice. After all, allowing a little more space in front and anticipating a changing traffic light sooner certainly puts less reliance on tapping into advanced technology to save our bacon.

I remain drawn to the charm of an earlier time. But I am snapped back to the present the moment I let out the clutch to begin a new ride. And as I roll down the road, I am thrust into the future as I project forward and seek out hints of what is to come.

I add a little extra safety margin by riding as if I had old-time technology. By applying a few key “timely” strategies, the past, present and future come together on every ride.

Maybe I was made for these times after all.

Eric Trow is a life-long motorcyclist and veteran motorcycling proficiency expert.

He runs the Stayin’ Safe advanced rider training program and can be contacted at etrow@stayinsafe.com.

R I D E R M AG A Z I N E .CO M / F E B R UA RY 2020 / 21

COMPARO 2020 HARLEY-DAVIDSON ROAD GLIDE SPECIA

BATTLE e h t of BAGGERS This comparo is a fixed-fairing fistfight between an icon— Harley-Davidson’s Road Glide Special— and an upstart— Indian’s all-new Challenger Limited.

These are premium V-twin touring cruisers that deliver bigtime torque, style and functionality. We put them to the test to find out which is the better bagger.

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AL VS 2020 INDIAN CHALLENGER LIMITED

By GREG DREVENSTEDT Photography by KEVIN WING

-twin baggers are as Ameri-

V

and Indian—are well-known brands from

can as baseball and apple pie.

coast to coast, even among folks who’ve

Big, stylish and built for our

never ridden one, and their histories and

wide-open highways, they embody the

rivalries stretch back more than a century.

self-expression and freedom that make

Being so steeped in tradition, Harley and

motorcycles objects of obsession rather

Indian take great pains to satisfy their

than just vehicles. America’s two major

base, building motorcycles that conform

bagger manufacturers—Harley-Davidson

to the expectations of loyal cruiser riders.

R I D E R M AG A Z I N E .CO M / F E B R UA RY 2020 / 23

2020 HARLEY-DAVIDSON ROAD GLIDE SPECIAL VS COMPARO 2020 INDIAN CHALLENGER LIMITED

Both of these American-made baggers carry the nameplates of legendary brands, and are similar in many ways. But there are key differences between them—the Indian (left) is powered by a liquid-cooled, SOHC V-twin and has a modular cast aluminum frame, while the Harley-Davidson has an air-cooled, OHV V-twin and a tubular-steel double-cradle frame.

Modern baggers must strike a delicate balance. On the outside they need to look a certain way—a big Vtwin front and center, a long, low profile and muscular styling with bodywork covered in rich paint. But on the inside they need to meet increasingly stringent emissions, sound and safety standards, provide modern levels of comfort and reliability and deliver an engaging riding experience in terms of performance, technology and features.

These two 2020 baggers, HarleyDavidson’s Road Glide Special and Indian’s Challenger Limited, strike that balance remarkably well. Being the latest incarnation of a model family that’s been in Harley’s lineup for 40 years—starting with the 1980 FLT, then known as the Tour Glide—the Road Glide is the seasoned veteran in this comparison, and its signature feature is a frame-mounted sharknose fairing with dual headlights.

Powering the Road Glide Special is the 2 4 / F E B R UA RY 2020 / R I D E R M AG A Z I N E .CO M

air-cooled, 114ci (1,868cc) version of Harley’s Milwaukee-Eight 45-degree V-twin with pushrod-actuated overhead valves. The Challenger is Indian’s newest model platform and the first to be powered by the PowerPlus 108 (1,768cc), a liquid-cooled, 60-degree V-twin with valves actuated by single overhead cams. Like the Road Glide, the Challenger has a frame-mounted fairing, a first for Indian.

As head-to-head competitors, the Road Glide Special and Challenger Limited are similar in many ways.

Their fixed fairings have bright LED headlights and large vents that bring fresh air into the cockpit, and both have long floorboards and protective highway bars. Their rumbling V-twins have hydraulic valve adjusters, throttle-by-wire and rear-cylinder deactivation, and both send power to their rear wheels through 6-speed transmissions with assist clutches and belt final drive. Both have cruise control, electronic rider aids (cornering

ABS, cornering traction control and drag torque slip control—standard on the Indian, optional on the Harley), keyless ignition and touchscreen infotainment systems with audio, navigation, Bluetooth and USB ports.

They have low seat heights, 6-gallon fuel tanks, cast wheels with tire pressure monitoring, top-loading lockable saddlebags and a pair of non-locking fairing pockets. Even their as-tested prices are separated by just $45 and their curb weights differ by a single pound—the Road Glide Special costs $28,794 and weighs 847 pounds; the Challenger Limited costs $28,749 and weighs 848 pounds.

Despite so many similarities, these bikes are anything but clones. Specs and features are one thing, style and personality are quite another. With nearly every component bathed in black, a tinted shorty windscreen, minimal badging and foregoing traditional metal flake and gloss in favor of matte Barracuda Silver Denim paint,

2020 HARLEY-DAVIDSON ROAD GLIDE SPECIAL VS COMPARO 2020 INDIAN CHALLENGER LIMITED 1 HELMET: HJC RPHA 90 JACKET: AETHER DIVIDE PANTS: AETHER DIVIDE BOOTS: SIDI GAVIA

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The Harley has an upright riding position with a comfortable reach to the handlebar. The seat locks the rider into place, and those with long legs will ride with their knees above their hips.

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the Road Glide Special is dark and brooding. (The FLTRXS is available in five other colors, all with gloss finishes.) The Challenger Limited, on the other hand, grabs your attention with Ruby Metallic paint, plenty of chrome and multiple Indian logos visible from every angle. (It’s also available in two other gloss colors, while the Challenger Dark Horse comes in three matte colors.)

More differences between the Harley and Indian emerged after logging hundreds of miles in their saddles. Cruisers are tuned for low-end torque, helping heavy bikes—especially those loaded two-up with full saddlebags—pull away quickly from stops and make brisk passes. These baggers deliver ample torque, sending more than 100 lb-ft to the rear wheel, but they go about it in different ways. The Road Glide has great engine feel, with crisp throttle response, rightnow thrust and a deeply satisfying V-twin pulse. The impressive refinement that went into the Milwaukee-Eight V-twin—more power and torque, less heat, less

1) Harley’s optional Reflex Defensive Rider Systems (RDRS) include cornering ABS, cornering traction control and drag torque control. 2) An American classic, finished in black. 3) Boom!

Box 6.5GT touchscreen infotainment system includes audio and GPS.

Compared to motorcycles with handlebar-mounted fairings, those with framemounted fairings like the Road Glide and Challenger have lighter steering.

vibration at idle and smoother operation—is why we selected the entire M8-equipped Touring family as our 2017 Motorcycle of the Year. On Jett Tuning’s dyno, the Harley generated smooth power curves with nary a dip or blip, torque rising to 104.5 lb-ft at 2,900 rpm and dropping off thereafter while horsepower increases linearly to 78.5 at 4,800 rpm. Due to its low rev ceiling (5,100 rpm) and narrow torque spread, short shifting the Harley helps it stay in its meaty midrange.

With its liquid cooling, oversquare bore/stroke and SOHC valve layout, Indian’s PowerPlus generates more output with less displacement and revs higher than the M8. Starting at 2,400 rpm, the Indian’s advantage over the Harley increases steadily, the gap widening to 28 lb-ft of torque and 27 horsepower by the time the Harley’s

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2020 HARLEY-DAVIDSON ROAD GLIDE SPECIAL VS COMPARO 2020 INDIAN CHALLENGER LIMITED 1 HELMET: SHOEI RF-1200 JACKET: TOURMASTER TRANSITION PANTS: AEROSTICH DARIEN BOOTS: TCX EVO

2

The Challenger’s fairing is closer to the rider and has an electric windscreen. Its seat also locks the rider in place but is flatter, more supportive and has a taller rear bolster.

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rev limiter kicks in. The Indian keeps going, hitting a peak of 108 horsepower at 5,600 rpm before finally signing off at 6,300 rpm. With a broader spread of torque— more than 100 lb-ft are on tap from 2,400-5,600 rpm, reaching 113.3 lb-ft at 3,300 rpm—and much higher peak power than the Harley, the Indian likes to be revved.

The Challenger has three ride modes that adjust throttle response, with Standard mode being fairly soft (Rain mode is even softer) and Sport mode delivering the goods immediately without abruptness.

These heavy machines can be a handful when pushing them around the garage or negotiating parking lots, but they feel well balanced and easy to maneuver at speed. With much of their weight carried low they roll in and out of curves gracefully, and their generous torque propels them out of corners with authority. About 31 degrees of cornering clearance on either side means they can be heeled way over before anything starts to scrape, especially with some extra preload dialed into the

1) Smart Lean Technology (cornering ABS and TC and drag torque control) is standard on the Challenger Limited.

2) Indian’s all-new PowerPlus 108 belts out serious horsepower and torque. 3) Ride Command is a comprehensive, customizable infotainment system.

With about 31 degrees of cornering clearance on each side, both baggers can be leaned over quite a ways before their floorboards start to drag.

rear suspension. Despite having “racespec” radial-mount Brembo calipers up front, the Indian’s front brake lever feels vague and requires a firm pull to generate full stopping power. In contrast, the Harley’s front brakes have the perfect amount of initial bite and better response at the lever.

If you’re ready to lay down some serious miles, these baggers have nearly everything you need (except heated grips—a curious omission for premium models costing nearly $29,000).

But they’re not created equal when it comes to touring comfort. With a lower laden seat height (25.9 inches vs. 26.5 inches on the Indian), you sit deeper in the Harley’s cockpit, with hips rolled back in the dished seat. Because the seat is U-shaped front to back and has a slick finish, it’s difficult to sit farther back; hit one bump and you

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COMPARO 2020 HARLEY-DAVIDSON ROAD GLIDE VS 202

SPECS

slide back down. And bumps can be a problem on the Harley. Most of the time the Road Glide Special provides a comfortable, compliant ride, but its rear shock, which is firmly damped and allows only 2.1 inches of travel, responds harshly to pavement ripples, cracks and seams. Big bumps and

potholes send shock waves right up the spine and can bounce a rider out of the seat. Also, the Harley’s fairing sits much farther forward (it’s a long reach to the infotainment screen), its windscreen offers no adjustment and the two large vents flanking the headlights cannot be closed so a high

volume of air always flows into the cockpit. This comparison took place in December, and testers always felt colder and more buffeted by the wind on the Harley than on the Indian.

The Challenger Limited provides a more comfortable and enjoyable riding experience. Its seat is flatter and has

2020 Harley-Davidson Road Glide Special

2020 Indian Challenger Limited

Base Price: $27,299 Price as Tested: $28,794 (RDRS, color) Warranty: 2 yrs., unltd. miles Website: harley-davidson.com

Base Price: $27,999 Price as Tested: $28,749 (color) Warranty: 2 yrs., unltd. miles Website: indianmotorcycle.com

ENGINE

ENGINE

Type: Air-cooled, transverse 45-degree V-twin Displacement: 1,868cc (114ci) Bore x Stroke: 102.0 x 114.0mm Compression Ratio: 10.5:1 Valve Train: OHV, 4 valves per cyl.

Valve Insp. Interval: NA (self-adjusting) Fuel Delivery: Electronic Sequential Port Fuel Injection Lubrication System: Dry sump, 5.2-qt. cap.

Transmission: 6-speed, hydraulically actuated wet assistand-slipper clutch Final Drive: Belt

Type: Liquid-cooled, transverse 60-degree V-twin Displacement: 1,768cc (108ci) Bore x Stroke: 108.0 x 96.5mm Compression Ratio: 11.0:1 Valve Train: SOHC, 4 valves per cyl.

Valve Insp. Interval: NA (self-adjusting) Fuel Delivery: EFI, 52mm dual bore throttle body x 2 Lubrication System: Semi-wet sump, 5-qt. cap.

Transmission: 6-speed, cable-actuated wet assist clutch Final Drive: Belt

ELECTRICAL ELECTRICAL Ignition: Electronic Charging Output: 625 watts max.

Battery: 12V 28AH

Ignition: Electronic Charging Output: 803 watts max.

Battery: 12V 18AH

CHASSIS CHASSIS Frame: Tubular-steel double cradle w/ two-piece backbone & steel swingarm Wheelbase: 64.0 in.

Rake/Trail: 26 degrees/6.8 in.

Seat Height: 25.9 in. (laden) Suspension, Front: 49mm stanchions, no adj., 4.6-in. travel Rear: Dual shocks, adj. preload w/ remote knob, 2.1-in. travel Brakes, Front: Dual 300mm floating discs w/ opposed 4-piston calipers, fully linked & ABS Rear: Single 300mm fixed disc w/ opposed 4-piston caliper, fully linked & ABS Wheels, Front: Cast, 3.50 x 19 in.

Rear: Cast, 5.00 x 18 in.

Tires, Front: 130/60-B19 Rear: 180/55-B18 Wet Weight: 847 lbs. (as tested) Load Capacity: 513 lbs. (as tested) GVWR: 1,360 lbs.

Frame: Modular cast aluminum w/ engine as stressed member & cast aluminum swingarm Wheelbase: 65.7 in.

Rake/Trail: 25 degrees/5.9 in.

Seat Height: 26.5 in. (laden) Suspension, Front: 43mm USD fork, no adj., 5.1-in. travel Rear: Single shock, remote adj. for spring preload, 4.5-in. travel Brakes, Front: Dual 320mm floating discs w/ opposed 4-piston radial calipers & ABS Rear: Single 298mm floating disc w/ 2-piston pin-slide caliper & ABS Wheels, Front: Cast, 3.50 x 19 in.

Rear: Cast, 5.00 x 16 in.

Tires, Front: 130/60-B19 Rear: 180/60-R16 Wet Weight: 848 lbs.

Load Capacity: 537 lbs.

GVWR: 1,385 lbs.

PERFORMANCE PERFORMANCE Fuel Capacity: 6.0 gals., last 1.0 gal. warning light on MPG: 91 AKI min. (low/avg/high) 39.3/40.4/42.3 Estimated Range: 242 miles Indicated RPM at 60 MPH: 2,200

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Fuel Capacity: 6.0 gals., last 1.0 gal. warning light on MPG: 91 AKI min. (low/avg/high) 37.7/38.1/38.6 Estimated Range: 228 miles Indicated RPM at 60 MPH: 2,500

DYNO

20 INDIAN CHALLENGER LIMITED

more grip and support, its long tank is narrower between the knees and its fairing provides more wind protection. The Indian’s fairing is closer to the rider and its windscreen is electrically adjustable over a 3-inch range— raising the screen all the way up and closing the fairing vents creates a calm, quiet space for the rider. With 5.1 inches of suspension travel in the front and 4.5 inches in the rear—0.5 inch and 2.4 inches more than the Harley, respectively—and more compliant damping, the Indian is much better at insulating the rider and passenger from rough roads. Even at a sporting pace with riders well over 200 pounds in the saddle, the Indian never bottomed out nor reacted harshly.

The Road Glide Special was clearly Indian’s benchmark for the Challenger Limited. At the press launch last October, Indian provided a side-byside comparison of their performance and features as well as a Road Glide Special for us to ride.

With Indian’s sales being about one-tenth of Harley’s, one way to improve its market share is to offer more bang for the buck on competing models. Indian has done so in terms of performance with an all-new, liquid-cooled engine that makes more power and torque and offers the flexibility of throttle-response modes. It has done so in terms of convenience with a more modern and user-friendly infotainment system with higher audio output (100W vs. 50W on the Harley) as well as extra features like central saddlebag locks and a keyless locking fuel cap. And it has done so in terms of comfort with a more supportive seat, better wind protection and superior ride quality, all in a package that costs and weighs nearly the same.

Healthy competition is good for the industry and good for riders because it provides us with better motorcycles. Since the launch of Project Rushmore for 2014, Harley-Davidson has continuously raised the bar with improvements to its engines, chassis, comfort, convenience and other features. The 2014 model year also happens to be when Indian launched

The Harley-Davidson vs. Indian wars are alive and well, and both make gorgeous motorcycles that are desired the world over. Brand preference is the lens through which many will view these bikes, but the Indian wins this battle. its all-new Thunder Stroke V-twin and Chief lineup, reigniting an old rivalry and spurring a feverish pace of innovation from both companies. The 2020 Road Glide Special is better than ever, but the Challenger Limited surpasses it.

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Riding Washington’s Palouse Region

Palouse le The wheat region of eastern Washington is a patchwork quilt stitched together with outstanding motorcycle roads and interesting farming towns.

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“The wheat field has...poetry,�

Vincent Van Gogh once said. The muse the master painter found

Trek

in wheat inspired dozens of his works. By the end of my recent tour through thousands of acres of the waving grain, I could see the wisdom of the one-eared post-impressionist.

Story and photos by Tim Kessel

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I was the outsider, so I happily left the route Steptoe Butte is a 168-acre planning to the native day-use only park.

Washingtonians. My wife’s brother-in-law, Native Americans called the Scott, and his brother-inbutte “the power mountain.” law, Dennis, discussed the Whitman is the top wheatriding merits of differproducing county in the nation. ent roads leading to, and within, the Palouse region Rock Lake is the deepest and of eastern Washington. largest Palouse lake formed You’d think that any from Ice Age floods. activity that begins with two mentions of “in-laws” could be destined for disaster. Not so in this case.

We enjoyed a great meal at Cow Creek Mercantile in the historic farming center of Ritzville. For what it’s worth, I enthusiastically recommend the delectable Kraut Runza. It’s a dish certainly inspired by the area’s heavy Volga German influence.

We mounted up and headed northeast on our mixed bag of bikes.

Dennis was piloting his red Victory, Scott was on his vintage Honda Gold Wing and I was riding a Shadow that was way out of my adventure bike comfort zone.

I settled into the low, feet-forward riding position as we rolled past the vibrant patchwork of wheat fields that are ubiquitous in the rolling hills of eastern Washington. There is a clear visual distinction between the vibrant, dense greens of the irrigated fields and the muted hues of the “dry” farms. Much of the region looks like a huge, non-geometrical, undulating checkerboard.

Our first stop on this Pacific Northwest adventure was the quaint farming town of Sprague. I flagged the others down when I spotted a cluster of vintage trucks and farm vehicles on the leading edge of town. With the kickstands down, we

Palouse Fast Facts

Top: Dozens of classic trucks sit at parade rest in the tiny farming community of Sprague. Left: An elevated display takes farm equipment to new heights above the Palouse.

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Dennis and Scott discuss our route options southwest of Spokane.

discussed the history of the place, and Scott informed me that there was an even more intriguing display of classic trucks on the other side of town. After a ride down Sprague’s brick building-lined 1st Street, his

assessment proved true. I spent an inordinate amount of time amidst the patina-rich trucks strolling in a fascinating time warp.

Back on the road, we headed southeast on State Route 23 deeper

into the Palouse. The predominate theory of the region’s name is that it is derived from the name of a Native American tribe, the Palus, which was morphed by French traders with their word “pelouse,” meaning an expanse of land covered in thick grass. When riding the region, the French word certainly fits. We motored through gentle rolling hills and sweeping corners. The vivid blue sky cut a sharp demarcation above the green hues of the wheat fields and grasslands.

At the small farming town of Ewan, we again headed northeast.

We stopped at Rock Lake, which to me simply looked like a prime fishing hotspot. However, my local riding companions said there was much more to this deep-blue body of water.

It seems that Rock Lake is as mysterious as it is beautiful. There are legends of a sea monster in the cold depths of the lake that some local farmers swear is true. Then there is the story R I D E R M AG A Z I N E .CO M / F E B R UA RY 2020 / 35

Cow Creek Mercantile in Ritzville is as diverse and interesting as its roof sign indicates, and the food is delicious. of a train wreck that dumped a load of brand new Model T Fords in Rock Lake a century ago. One thing is verified: the deep, cold lake seems to have a voracious appetite for careless anglers, as many have submerged never to return to the surface.

After several more miles of great riding through rolling wheat fields, we next stopped at a very cool farm equipment shop that had two huge tractors on sky-high poles. As we were discussing the next leg of the route, the owner (and engineer of the elevated sculptures) came out to the road to see if we needed help, and gave us directions on how to get to the centerpiece of our ride, Steptoe Butte.

As he wiped the axle grease from his hands, he suggested a “winding” northern route that would add time, but also a new and different ecosys-

tem including forests of evergreens.

He had me at winding.

We climbed out of the farm and grasslands into the pines south of Spokane. The air was cooler, and the curves more serpentine. This forested stretch was not long, but it added another layer to a great ride. We took a turn to the southeast onto the Palouse Scenic Byway. Historic barns dotted the vibrant green grasslands that comingled with the muted hues of the wheat fields. On a couple of occasions, we had to pull over to make way for massive farm machinery navigating the narrow country roads, but other than that, the route was virtually devoid of four-wheeled traffic.

Later, from the saddle of his Gold Wing, Scott pointed out a swell in the rolling land that was larger than the rest. I concluded that it must be Step-

toe Butte in the distance. As we rolled closer, the butte grew subtly in size, but it was not, I thought in the moment, as impressive as I anticipated.

That would change as we started the ascent up its narrow road. The majesty of Steptoe Butte State Park comes on slowly and then grows exponentially with altitude.

Once on top of Steptoe, the views were staggering. That patchwork of greens and browns that we had ridden through were on expansive display in a full 360 degrees. Short walks across the summit parking lot afforded long perspectives in every direction. I was told that the view from the butte’s elevated position is about 200 miles. We were lucky enough to be there on a day with blue skies and bulbous clouds, which only added to the natural ambiance.

Steptoe Butte has a fascinating history. At the 3,612-foot summit, the State Park Service has erected some informative interpretative panels with some of the notable ecological and human influences on the area. The first primitive road up Steptoe was cut in 1888. That same year, James “Cashup” Davis completed a two-story, 50-room hotel at the top. Davis died in his hotel in 1896 at the age of 81. The hotel, which suffered a decline in visitors over the years, closed its doors forever in 1902 and burned in an accidental fire in 1911.

After taking in the views from Steptoe, we descended the narrow road back to the floor of the park, and then back onto the scenic

There is a concerted effort to preserve the rich farming history throughout the Palouse region. This majestic barn is a great example.

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The distinct contrasts of farms and fields is on full display from the road that winds up Steptoe Butte. byway. The entertaining curviness and undulation of the tarmac continued until we reached our next stop. We rolled into Colfax, which serves as the seat of Whitman County. Again historic brick buildings lined the long Main Street of the town.

We stopped at Eddy’s Chinese and American for some sustenance and to recount the ride to that point. My body was starting to feel the effects of the strange-to-me cruiser seating position, and the constant blast of wind on the unfaired Honda. The sweet and sour pork was tasty, and the conversation was lively as we shared the restaurant with farmers and locals.

With bellies full, we headed west toward our staging point of Ritzville. There were several more tiny farming communities dotting the return ride. We rolled through Endicott, Benge and Ralston. It is interesting to note that no matter how compact the communities in this region, each one has a massive grain silo as a centerpiece. Most also seem to have at least some display of historic farming machinery to pay tribute the region’s lifeblood. Wheat

dominates the landscape, the lifestyle and the economy of most of eastern Washington.

My amiable and knowledgeable local guides had certainly traced a wonderful circuit through a fascinating part of the country. The region is unique in its expanse, its importance to the world food supply and its beauty.

The natural contours of the Palouse are dressed in a coat of many colors, and the ribbons of tarmac that traverse those contours are a motorcycling playground. I will remember fondly the wide-open beauty of the Palouse. The wheat field certainly does have poetry.

Skirted by the vibrant greens of maturing wheat, Dennis leaves Steptoe Butte in the rearview mirror.

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TOUR TEST 2019 KTM 790 ADVENTURE

Main: The desert can be an unforgiving place, with miles of lonely highways and even more unpaved roads and trails.

The KTM 790 Adventure is an ideal choice for venturing into the great wide open, with a 280-plus-mile range, off-road bona fides and creature comforts for the long haul.

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Story & Photos by JENNY SMITH

Far left: The 790 cuts a unique front profile in the Arizona desert. Left: The tiny town of Ajo, Arizona, sports some seriously cool street art.

TM has garnered a reputation (deservedly) for building high-performance, hard-edged machines that cater to what we might call the “one percent” of adventure riders. Let’s just say, you don’t hear jokes about KTMs and Starbucks parking lots. Its highly anticipated, new-for-2019 790 Adventure exemplifies that philosophy (read our comprehensive on- and off-road review in the June 2019 issue or on ridermagazine.com): an eminently capable lightweight ADV tourer that was designed for excursions into some pretty gnarly territory, especially in the off-road oriented R variation.

But what if you aren’t necessarily a “one percenter?” You like the idea of an adventure bike that isn’t gargantuan (a seat height of less than 35 inches would be great, thanks), but is comfortable, with adequate power for touring and high-speed passing and ample luggage capacity. Yet it can still tackle whatever “shortcut” your GPS throws at you—or worse—without breaking a sweat. That pretty much describes me, so when our KTM 790 Adventure test bike showed up I snagged the keys and have clung to them stubbornly ever since, logging more than 3,000 miles commuting, canyon carving and road tripping, including a weekend ride up the coast for Babes Ride Out (December 2019) and this weeklong road trip to New Mexico to visit my mom and stepdad. They live on 80 acres of desert about 10 miles southeast of Deming, and getting there involves considerable highway

K

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TOUR TEST 2019 KTM 790 ADVENTURE The paved section of Apache Trail (Arizona State Route 88) heading northeast out of Phoenix is a street motorcyclist’s playground, a perfect ribbon of tarmac snaking through the Sonoran Desert.

slabbing along with a home stretch of a few miles of sandy dirt road, plus a quarter-mile of washed-out dirt driveway. In between are numerous opportunities to scrub the edges of the tires on pavement as well as nonpaved detours to mines and other points of interest. Adventure bike territory.

Escaping Southern California took the better part of a day, heavy Orange County traffic giving way to sweeping low mountain vistas and finally, in Borrego Springs, at the bottom of a long, winding descent, the low, sprawling Colorado Desert, part of the 100,000-square-mile Sonoran Desert that covers much of southwestern

Arizona and spreads southward into Baja California Sur and Sonora, Mexico. It is home to several unique species, including the iconic symbol of the American Southwest, the saguaro (“sah-WAH-roh”) cactus.

I’d timed my trip well; a week later, heavy rain poured for days, part of the massive winter storm that would wreak havoc on Thanksgiving holiday travel for much of the U.S. But on this ride, the skies were sunny and dry, and with lightly insulated gloves I only needed my heated liners in the early morning (our test bike was not equipped with the optional heated grips). The 790 has a comprehensive electronics package that includes

Friendly locals at the Ajo Farmers Market & Café served me a stellar cup of coffee and a delicious breakfast bowl made from locally sourced ingredients.

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three ride modes, Street, Rain and Offroad, that alter throttle response and IMU-based MTC (traction control), plus separately switchable Bosch 9.1 MP cornering ABS. With its firm, flat, adjustable two-piece seat in the lower (32.7-inch) position, the 790 Adventure put me, at 5 feet, 9 inches, into a comfortably compact riding position while nearly allowing me to get both feet flat on the ground.

Footpegs, which have rubber inserts to muffle any vibration, are high enough to allow ample off-road ground clearance and the handlebar, which is adjustable in six positions over a 1.2-inch range, is not as wide as some other larger ADV bikes. I put the windscreen into the higher of its two positions and found it deflected air around my helmet with very little buffeting.

Therefore I was comfortable and smiling the next day as I rolled into the town of Ajo (“AH-ho”), Arizona, some 38 miles from the U.S./Mexico border.

This old mining town is experiencing a revival of sorts, with its gleaming whitewashed Spanish-style buildings lining the central plaza, a beautiful old school that’s been renovated into apartments for artists-in-residence and a hotel and conference center, as well as new coffee shops, cafés and

TOUR TEST 2019 KTM 790 ADVENTURE

SPECS

Left, top: The Longhorn Restaurant in Tombstone, Arizona, is on the site where Virgil Earp was shot, triggering his brother Wyatt’s vendetta against the perpetrators. Left, middle: About 600,000 tons of copper was pulled from the Lavender Pit mine outside Bisbee, Arizona. Left, bottom: La Misión San José de Tumacácori was built by Spanish missionaries in the late 1700s to early 1800s south of what is now Tucson.

2019 KTM HONDA 790CB500X ADVENTURE Base Price: $12,699 $6,699 Price as As Tested: Tested: $13,059 $6,999 (ABS) (Quickshifter+) Warranty: 2 1 yrs., yr., unltd.

24,000 miles miles Website: ktm.com powersports.honda.com

ENGINE Type: Liquid-cooled, transverse parallel twin Displacement: 799cc 471cc Bore x Stroke: 88.0 67.0 x 66.8mm 65.7mm Compression Ratio: 12.7:1 10.7:1 Valve Train: DOHC, 4 valves per cyl.

Valve Insp. Interval: 18,600 16,000 miles Fuel Delivery: EFI PGM-FI w/ 42mm w/ 34mm throttle throttle bodies bodies x2 x2 Lubrication System: Semi-dry Wet sump,sump, 2.7-qt.

3.1-qt. cap. cap.

Transmission: 6-speed, cable-actuated wet assist-andclutch Final Drive: slipper clutchO-ring chain Final Drive: X-ring chain

ELECTRICAL Ignition: Full transistorized ignition ELECTRICAL Ignition: Electronic Charging Output: 500 w/ digital watts max. adjustment Battery: 12V Charging Output: 7.4AH400 watts max.

Battery: 12V 10AH

CHASSIS Frame: Diamond-shaped tubular-steel w/ engine as CHASSIS

artisans’ markets. It’s the kind of place that gives you hope for the future, with residents representing what they call the Three Nations: Caucasian American, Mexican-American and native Tohono O’odham.

Part of the appeal of an adventure tourer is the ability to explore at will, so when a local told me about a gravel road that looped around the old pit mine I was keen to check it out. The 790 Adventure’s 21-inch spoked front wheel, shod with tubeless Avon Trailrider 90/10 tires, rolled easily over the low rocky shelves and washouts, its 7.9 inches of suspension travel front and rear (non-adjustable except for rear preload) taking everything in stride, if a bit stiffly at the lower speeds at which I was traveling. It’s not just on dirt and gravel that a bike like the 790 Adventure shines, 4 2 / F E B R UA RY 2020 / R I D E R M AG A Z I N E .CO M

Frame: Chromium-molybdenum stressed member, box-section steel tubular swingarm steel w/ Wheelbase: engine as stressed 56.9 in. member, cast aluminum subframe Rake/Trail: & swingarm 27.5 degrees/4.3 in.

Seat Height:59.4 Wheelbase: 32.7in. in.

Suspension,25.9 Rake/Trail: Front: degrees/4.2 41mm stanchions, in.

Seat adj. for Height: spring32.7/33.5 preload, 5.9-in. in. travel Suspension, Rear: Pro-Link Front: single43mm shock,USD adj.fork, for spring non-adj., preload, 7.9-in.

5.9-in. travel Rear: Brakes, Single Front: PDS 320mm shock, discs adj. for w/spring 2-piston preload, floating caliper 7.9-in. travel & ABS (as tested) Rear: Brakes, 240mm Front:disc Dualw/320mm 1-piston floating floating discs caliper w/ radial & opposed ABS (as4-piston tested) calipers & ABS Wheels, Rear: Single Front: 260mm Cast,disc 2.50w/ x 19 2-piston in. floating pin-slide Rear: caliperCast, & ABS 4.50 x 17 in.

Tires, Wheels, Front: Front: 110/80-HR19 Spoked tubeless, 2.50 x 21 in.

Rear: Spoked 160/60-HR17 tubeless, 4.50 x 18 in.

Wet Tires, Weight: Front: 90/90-21 433 lbs. (as tested) Load Rear:Capacity: 150/70-18383 lbs. (as tested) GVWR: Wet Weight: 816 lbs.

469 lbs. (as tested) Load Capacity: 523 lbs. (as tested) PERFORMANCE GVWR: 992 lbs.

Fuel Capacity: 4.6 gals., last 0.7 gal. warning light on MPG: PERFORMANCE 87 AKI min. (low/avg/high) 44.3/55.0/62.6 Estimated Fuel Capacity: Range: 5.3 gals., 253 miles last 0.75 gal. warning light on Indicated MPG: 91 AKI RPM min. at(low/avg/high) 60 MPH: 4,75034.0/54.2/62.6 Estimated Range: 286 miles Indicated RPM at 60 MPH: 4,100

Above: I discovered a lot of amazing street art on this trip, including this incredible 40-by-12-foot mural in Deming, New Mexico, depicting traditional native Mimbres pottery and motifs, by local high school art teacher Jesse Kriegel. however. Keen to avoid the traffic in Tucson, later that day I found myself on narrow, bumpy, twisty Arivaca Sasabe Road, connecting State Route 286 with Interstate 19 through a lonely landscape where the only other vehicles I saw were U.S. Customs & Border Patrol units.

Another highlight was Apache Trail, a.k.a. Arizona State Route 88, a perfect ribbon of sinuous asphalt rippling into the Superstition Moun-

tains east of Phoenix. I’d intended to go all the way to Roosevelt, with the asphalt giving way to dirt less than halfway up, but the road was inexplicably closed at Tortilla Flat. Too bad.

I just had to turn around and retrace my corner-carving steps—carefully, as this was clearly a popular road for local riders as well as sports cardriving racer wannabes and pickups trundling along with boats in tow, headed to and from Canyon Lake.

Not all roads on this trip were so fun, however, with several hours-long 75-to80-mph slogs on Interstates 8 and 10.

The 790 Adventure’s 799cc liquid-cooled LC8c parallel twin has dual counterbal-

Left: After following signs for the “Hi Jolly Monument” in Quartzsite, Arizona, I found this memorial to a Syrian-Greek man brought to the U.S. to tend a herd of experimental government camels, a project of Jefferson Davis (future President of the Confederate States). A story worth looking up.

ancers for smoothness, with a 75-degree crankpin offset and 435-degree firing order for V-twin-like character, and with 88.4 peak horsepower and 59.4 lb-ft of torque on tap (per the Jett Tuning dyno), it’s got enough spunk to hang at those speeds with room to spare, though sometimes at the expense of fuel economy. In a stiff headwind and at freeway speeds my mileage dipped as low as 34 mpg, but favorable conditions brought a high of 63 on this trip, averaging somewhere in the 50s, which meant my 5.3-gallon tank was good for close to 300 miles between fill-ups. The one caveat is that the 790 requires premium, which can be tough to find in the loneliest desert areas.

Apart from that minor detail, though, the KTM 790 Adventure is the rare lightweight adventure tourer that, depending on whether you choose the R version and how you equip it, works for the “100 percent”: it’s supremely capable off-road yet a pleasure to ride on long highways, and it’s downright fun in the twisties. Perfecting it for me would mean adding the optional centerstand, heated grips and cruise control, and maybe even some hard luggage, but even without all that I enjoyed all 1,787 (give or take) miles of my trip— and will continue to enjoy more until it’s time to give it back. With the 790 Adventure, the only question becomes: where do you want to go?

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The Intriguing Southeast Europe tour is a rider's paradise, with exploring the region's beautiful and lightly traveled roads taking priority over sightseeing. With an open attitude and a sense of adventure, it will be two weeks you'll never forget.

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EXPLORING THE BALKANS ON ADRIATIC MOTO TOURS’ INTRIGUING SOUTHEAST EUROPE TOUR. STORY AND PHOTOS BY JENNY SMITH

The Balkan region has had a

hand in world history more often than you might think. Thanks to its geographical position, it’s always been a crossroads of culture, where farming first spread from the Middle East into Europe during the Neolithic era, and as the convergence point of Latin and Greek influence, Orthodox and Catholic Christianity, and Islam and Christianity. It’s been home to Goths, Huns, Slavs and Ottoman Turks, among many others.

For riders with an adventurous streak, the Balkans are also a fascinating place to explore, well off the beaten tourist track, where surprisingly entertaining roads with very little traffic will carry you through magical forests, along jade-colored rivers, over high mountain passes and past farm fields where workers still till the soil by hand. I first traveled to the Balkans with Adriatic Moto Tours (AMT) in 2017, visiting Slovenia, Bosnia and Croatia, and was smitten by the culture, history, friendly people and, most importantly, the amazing roads.

So this time I opted for a longer, even more adventurous getaway that would complete my tour of the former Yugoslavia—Serbia, North Macedonia and Montenegro—as well as allow a visit to two “behind the Iron Curtain” countries, Bulgaria and Albania, and a unique opportunity to get a passport stamp from a rather controversial country, Kosovo.

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Belgrade, Serbia, a bustling city that sits at the confluence of two mighty rivers, the Danube and the Sava. I arrived a day early to acclimate and explore the city on my own, which I highly recommend. Belgrade, like most European cities, is very walkable and there are several interesting museums and points of interest, including an air museum that features pieces of a U.S. F-117 stealth fighter and an F-16 that were shot down dur-

ing the 1999 campaigns, a monument to the Jewish and Roma victims of a Nazi concentration camp that once sat on the riverbank (Yugoslavia was occupied by the Nazis during WWII but its people resisted valiantly and were ultimately successful in driving them out) and the Museum of Yugoslav History, burial place of dictator Josip Tito.

Most of the people I interacted with spoke English, and all were friendly.

The Serbs that I met tended to be

Left: The 15-day Intriguing Southeast Europe tour loops out of Belgrade, Serbia, with rest days in Sofia, Bulgaria; Ohrid, North Macedonia; and Sarande, Albania.

Below: Albania was full of surprises, including this stunning road between the Macedonian border and the town of Gjirokaster. The narrow, winding road demanded complete attention, which was difficult given the eyepopping scenery.

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very open and matter-of-fact, and it’s clear the events of 1999 are still quite fresh in their memories. At dinner the first night, only hours after I’d arrived, two young men at the next table overheard me speaking English and they turned and introduced themselves.

“I am a riverboat captain,” said one proudly. “It’s good money, more than fifty thousand per month.” He meant 50,000 Serbian dinar, which is equivalent to approximately $475. He then went on to give me his opinions on why Serbia was struggling economically and how strong Yugoslavia once was. He thought the U.S.-led NATO bombing was unethical and misguided. At the end of our conversation, he and his companion warmly bid us good night and bought us a round of drinks. If only all discussions were so civilized.

The second night, after a long day of walking and exploring, I met our tour group and guides at the welcome dinner. We were mostly American and Canadian, with a lone Australian, and notably there were two other single women besides myself, a first for me on an overseas tour. We’d been warned that the roads on this tour could be unpredictable—all paved, but in various states of repair—so

Tour Workhorse 2019 BMW F 750 GS

Adventure bikes have a lot going for them: an upright, comfortable seating position, bring-it-on suspension and ample luggage capacity. Many riders who choose one never have aspirations of taking it off-road, regardless of the machine’s ability, and especially for smaller, height-challenged riders or those just looking for a lightweight, easy to handle bike, BMW’s streetoriented F 750 GS (or its predecessors the 650 and 700 GS) is a top choice. In fact, it’s a common and popular option in tour company and bike rental fleets worldwide, and for good reason.

The new 750 features a revamped 853cc parallel twin that’s good for a claimed 77 horsepower and 61 lb-ft of torque, enough to move you down the road without drama, and with a factory lowered variation sporting a 30.3-inch seat (the standard model is a still-accessible 32.1 inches), 19inch front/17-inch rear cast wheels, a claimed wet weight of 493 pounds and available electronics that include trac-

tion control, ABS, multiple ride modes, dynamic (electronic) rear suspension and a quickshifter, the F 750 GS is an extremely capable machine that is ideal for the narrow, often bumpy and unpredictable roads of Central and Eastern Europe. After two weeks aboard one on the Intriguing Southeast Europe tour, I can vouch for the 750’s comfort and capability. Cobble-

stone parking lots and tight switchbacks were no sweat and despite a softly damped fork I had no trouble keeping up with our ride leader when he kicked up the pace in the twisties.

If you’d prefer a taller seat and a bit more power, the F 850 GS is another great choice; either way, you’ll be on an ideal bike for exploring on and off the beaten path.

I’d opted for a BMW F 750 GS (see sidebar above) for its light weight, easy handling and generous suspension travel. In fact, everyone had chosen BMW GS models, with the exception of one guy on his own Honda ST1300 and a couple on a BMW R 1250 RT. Our first day of riding brought us into Bulgaria, birthplace of the Cyrillic alphabet and, up until the collapse of the Soviet Union in 1989, a member of the Eastern Bloc. Unlike the former Yugoslavian states, which never fully adhered to the Soviet idea of Communism and instead leaned further toward Socialism, Bulgaria went all-in with Marxism-Leninism and, as a result, has been slower to recover economically than its Yugoslav neighbors. Caution is a must when riding Bulgarian roads, as around any bend could be a horse-drawn wagon, a herd of goats, sheep or cows, an entire family clinging to a tractor or a trundling logging truck belching diesel soot.

(I’m fairly certain Bulgaria does not have an Environmental Protection Agency.) As we crossed into North Macedonia, flirting briefly with the Greek border, the landscape started to

Right, top: With AMT's guides, knowing the local language isn't a necessity, and many signs in the bigger towns and cities also included English, indicative of the region's relatively new openness to tourism.

Right, bottom: We stopped at the Rila Monastery south of Sofia to appreciate its many colorful frescos and unique architecture.

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PHOTO BY NIKO PEROŠA

ously trying to take in the view was a challenge, so I hung at the back of the pack and stopped often for photos. Once nice thing about AMT is that it includes a GPS preloaded with each day’s route at no additional charge, so I wasn’t worried about losing the group.

I’m not sure what I expected Albania to be like, but it still surprised me. Abandoned bunkers built by the paranoid former dictator Enver Hoxha dot the landscape—about 173,000 of them to be exact—including in places you’d least expect, like right in the middle of town. Roma—gypsies— prowl the roads on small garden tractors with scary-looking buzz saws bolted to the front, cutting trees that they sell for firewood. Yet the Albanian Riviera—the Adriatic coast—is beautiful, with abundant and delicious fresh seafood and luxury hotels at a fraction of the cost of more developed countries. The roads continued to delight, especially alpine Llogara Pass and a brand new, very fast and curvaceous stretch leading into Kosovo.

Tell most Americans you’re visiting Kosovo and you’ll likely get at least one raised eyebrow. It’s true there are parts in the northeast that aren’t the safest place to visit, given continued tensions with Serbia, and our tour route’s detour into Montenegro exists solely because it’s not possible to enter Kosovo from Albania and leave directly into Serbia (war and its aftermath, unfortunately, is a continuous theme in the region). But Kosovars are very friendly toward Americans (we fought for them, after all) and our night in the town of Prizren was

Above: North Macedonia's mountain roads are usually fairly smooth and well-paved, carrying us over low mountains and through rows of vineyards. Left: This “two lane” road's center line seemed to exist mostly as a psychological barrier to keep drivers from just going right down the middle. With the exception of a couple of stubborn bus drivers, locals in every country were respectful of motorcycles and pulled to the right to allow us plenty of space to pass. look familiar to this SoCal resident: low mountains and the vineyards of the Vardar wine region—and in fact we stayed at a working winery that night. Road conditions improved (although, as would be the case for the next several days, we remained vigilant for any surprises) and, best of all, we got our first taste of some real curves. But the best was yet to come.

The best riding day of the tour, in my opinion, was from Ohrid, North Macedonia, to Gjirokaster, Albania. We crossed the dramatic Gramoz Range on pavement that ranged from smooth and fast to tight, bumpy and technical, eventually picking up a road that pretended to be two lanes wide but wasn’t. It clung resolutely to the side of steep emerald green mountains, at the bottom of which flowed a jade river. Flinging my lightweight GS through its twists and turns, often standing on the pegs due to the bumps, while simultane4 8 / F E B R UA RY 2020 / R I D E R M AG A Z I N E .CO M

Top and above, right: The Albanian Riviera was another surprise, with turquoise waters, white sand beaches and fresh, delicious seafood. Above, left: Kosovo, like Albania, is a predominantly Muslim country. This Ottoman Mosque, built in 1615, overlooks the river in the town of Prizren. Right, bottom: Meat is a staple of Balkan cuisine, and nearly every meal included it in copious quantities, including this impressive platter of skewers, patties and steaks of beef, pork, chicken and lamb—along with french fries, fresh bread and salad. memorable at the least for the massive platters of grilled meats presented to us at dinner.

Speaking of meat, on this tour you will eat a lot of it. The cuisine in this part of the Balkans is…shall we say, challenging…for vegetarians, and nearly impossible for vegans. You should be comfortable with pork, lamb, fish, fresh bread and/or the ubiquitous salad of R I D E R M AG A Z I N E .CO M / F E B R UA RY 2020 / 49

PHOTO BY NIKO PEROŠA

cucumber, tomato, onion and goat cheese.

The upside is it’s delicious and can be washed down with local wine, all of it very inexpensive. In fact, one nice thing about traveling the Balkans is that your dollar goes a lot further than the more popular tourist destinations of Western Europe. Of course, as on all AMT tours your hotels, breakfasts and dinners are all included, plus a support van to carry your luggage. But because it’s so inexpensive, two weeks here doesn’t cost too much more than nine days in Western Europe. It’s a big riding vacation bang for the buck. So if you’ve got an adventurous streak and are curious to ride a part of Europe that many Americans have missed, put this tour on your list.

The Intriguing Southeast Europe tour runs June 13-27 or September 6-20, 2020. AMT has also just released its complete 2020 tour schedule; visit adriaticmototours.com.

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PHOTO BY NIKO PEROŠA

Above: Llogara Pass on the central coast of Albania gave us a taste of Alpine-style switchbacks. Right, middle: The tour group poses among the red sandstone formations and green forested mountains of northwestern Bulgaria, where we spent the night in the sleepy town of Belgradčik.

Right, bottom: Cold War history buffs and fans of Futurist architecture may choose to ride to the Buzludzha Monument on the rest day in Soia. This building commemorating the foundation of the Socialist movement in Bulgaria was abandoned after the fall of Communism in 1989.

Story by JIM LUKEN Photos by LIZ HAYES

The small harbor in McClellanville leads to the Cape Romain National Wildlife Refuge, an aquatic paradise for shore birds and inshore fishing.

Land of Swamp and Sand The other South Carolina destination. ach year millions of tourists visit Myrtle Beach or Charleston, South Carolina, searching for beaches, nightlife, shopping and endless feasts of seafood.

However, far fewer people venture to the roughly 100 miles of coast located between these two popular destinations, where it is relatively unpopulated, undeveloped and dominated by swamp, saltmarsh and pine savannah. Undiscovered is fine by me, as this “land in between” offers numerous favorite rides where I can walk into my garage, pick a motorcycle (Kawasaki KLR650, CanAm Spyder RT or Yamaha WR250) and then ride road, dirt road or off-road depending on the day and my desires.

On a map, the area of interest jumps out in green, since it’s mostly occupied by the Francis Marion National Forest (FMNF) and its 259,000 acres of multi-use land. I live in Myrtle Beach and get there via U.S. Route 17. The interesting part of the trip begins in the historic town of Georgetown. Eating and history immediately compete with riding as the downtown features the Rice Museum, the South Carolina Maritime Museum, the Kaminski House Museum and a working waterfront with a boardwalk and numerous restaurants.

A repeating theme on this ride is the rise and fall of a South Carolina plantation culture where products such as rice, indigo, cotton, tobacco and forest

E

The harborwalk in Georgetown provides good views of the harbor and easy access to numerous bars and restaurants. The harbor is connected to Winyah Bay, a large estuary draining northeastern coastal South Carolina. products were taken from the land with abundant slave labor and then shipped north or across the Atlantic.

In the 1800s Georgetown was one of the richest cities in the southeast.

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FAVORITERIDE continued

Map by BILL TIPTON (Compartmaps.com)

THIS MAP BROUGHT TO YOU BY:

The Rice Museum in downtown Georgetown provides insights on how rice was once cultivated in impoundments using passive water control structures. Rice cultivation was disrupted by the Civil War and the end of slave labor.

History abounds in Georgetown, once one of the most prosperous ports in the southeast. Now it is finding new success as a tourist destination. There are even public restroom facilities downtown!

The mansion at Hampton Plantation State Historic Site gives one a sense of how lucrative was the growing of rice with slave labor. A stop here lets you stretch your legs and also gain some perspective on the South Carolina that once was.

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U.S. 17 out of Georgetown hugs the coast, and heading southwest you first cross the expansive Santee Delta and its parallel north and south rivers. Shortly after, there is a right turn on State Road S-10-857, which takes you to the Hampton Plantation State Historic Site. It features a restored mansion and interpretive aids explaining how rice was once grown here using an ingenious system of impoundments, water control structures and, of course, slave labor. Here I usually stroll a bit to stretch my legs in preparation for the ride to come.

Backtracking to U.S. 17 and then continuing southwest for about eight miles, look for State Route 45 and turn right, the beginning of a fantastic loop through the FMNF (this is also the place to get gas if you are running low). The road, a well-maintained two-lane, is flanked by extensive pine forests and intermittently crosses cypress swamps. Beware! Road closures are common due to prescribed burning and flooding.

In the FMNF you can choose your riding pleasure. Numerous Forest Service roads branch off, taking you to places such as Hell Hole Bay Wilderness and the Wambaw Swamp Wilderness. This is where I go when I’m wearing my dual-sport hat.

Road riders should continue about 10 miles to Halfway Creek Road and

turn left. A good place to stop along this road is the Wambaw Cycle Trail. You can commune with the numerous riders who trailer their off-road bikes here and then take the challenge of riding The town of McClellanville narrow single-tracks will make you want to quit of deep sand. your job and find a resting Continue on Halfspot under a live oak tree. way Creek Road about However, you better not be 11 miles and then around when the next big take a left on Steed hurricane comes.

Creek Road. Another five miles and you are back to U.S. 17. At this point you can turn right and head southwest toward Charleston. You might even want to catch the Bull’s Island Ferry and explore the Cape Romain National Wildlife Refuge (passengers only, book in advance and a full day is required).

However, since I live in the other direction, I take a left and travel toward the town of McClellanville, about 11 miles northeast. Along the way stop at Buck Hall Recreation Area. It costs a few bucks to enter the site, but the views of the Cape Romain National Wildlife Refuge are well worth it.

A short jog toward water from U.S. 17 takes you to McClellanville (population about 1,000), a quaint and colorful fishing village where you immediately begin entertaining ideas of quitting the day job and retiring to a life of pleasant views and boat floating. But before you make that leap, read the stories about how in 1989 Hurricane Hugo drove most of the inhabitants to higher ground. Many people climbed to the second floors of their houses while furniture bumped against the first-floor ceilings.

The one restaurant downtown, T.W. Graham & Co., is a popular motorcycle destination and the food is cheap, excellent and regionally correct. The Village Museum adjacent to the waterfront boat ramp provides some history about Native Americans and how they periodically visited this area to harvest fish, oysters and clams. The history you won’t hear about, however, is the role of marijuana smuggling in the local economy during the 1970s.

From McClellanville it is 24 miles back to Georgetown on U.S. 17, where you can find a few motels to spend the night and a few more places to eat and drink.

The beauty of this relatively short ride is that it is possible for motorcyclists to make pretty much year-round due to the subtropical climate. The traffic is always light but if you desire the hustle and flow of major urban areas, it is a short ride to either Myrtle Beach or Charleston. Given the choice, however, this land of swamp and sand is my preference.

Halfway Creek Road provides access to Wambaw Cycle Trail, an extensive system of single-track trails. Deep sand is a real challenge for those used to a hard-packed surface. Definitely not a place for a Spyder.

Forest Service roads in the Francis Marion National Forest are ideal for dual-sport motorcycles and even the occasional Spyder. Travel on these roads is limited to licensed vehicles. No dirt bikes.

The only restaurant in downtown McClellanville is now a popular motorcycle destination for riders coming from Charleston and Myrtle Beach. Seafood from nearby Cape Romain is served in the traditional Lowcountry style.

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PRACTICAL TECH HELP

Got Carburetors?

An ethanol survival guide.

By MARK TUTTLE

PHOTO BY JOHN ETHELL

FOR BETTER OR WORSE, most of the gasoline you can buy at stations around the U.S. has been “oxygenated” with some kind of additive since a series of amendments were made to the Clean Air Act in the 1990s. The idea is to help the gasoline burn more completely, and thus cut down on harmful emissions. The latest additive is ethanol, which—without getting into the political and environmental debates about its efficacy—is fine for use in fuel-injected vehicles that are run regularly and designed to use up to 10% ethanol (85% in flex-fuel vehicles).

On the other hand, ethanol-oxygenated fuel is not so great for any vehicles that sit between uses, and/or carbureted engines, like the one in your dirt bike or older motorcycle. Ethanol is alcohol, and alcohol is corrosive to certain parts in older fuel systems. Alcohol is also “hygroscopic” and likes water, so when water gets into fuel during a fill-up or from condensation, it can mix with the ethanol, creating a chemical combo that causes rust, corrosion, acids and sticky varnish that wreak havoc in fuel systems, especially carburetors. Ethanol can even cause rubber parts and fuel lines to dry out, harden and deteriorate prematurely.

This is what even relatively new carburetor float bowls can start to look like when left to sit with unstabilized fuel. Upon restarting that debris can loosen and clog jets, typically the pilot jet.

Alternatives are few—unless you’re lucky enough to have a fuel supplier or gas station near you that sells ethanol-free gasoline (see pure-gas.com or buyrealgas. com), or you’re OK paying $15-$18 per gallon for ethanol-free gas in cans from a dealer (see vpracingfuels.com), most of us are stuck buying gasoline oxygenated with 10% ethanol. Again, your modern fuel-injected vehicle that you store in a dry place 5 4 / F E B R UA RY 2020 / R I D E R M AG A Z I N E .CO M

and run at least twice a month is unlikely to suffer any ill effects, but what should someone do with their older carbureted bike (or boat, lawnmower, string trimmer, generator, etc.)?

The simplest, best advice I can offer is…don’t let them sit. The shelf life of unstabilized gasoline containing ethanol is about one month. Running your vehicles every week—or two maximum—until fully warm is the best way to prevent fuel delivery problems. When you can’t run them, here’s what I do to minimize (not eliminate!) problems with my small collection of bikes, and my generator, string trimmer and lawnmower, even spare fuel in cans.

Half Full, Half Empty On carbureted bikes with steel gas tanks, half the fuel system should be drained, and the other half kept full.

Carburetors and their tiny air passages and jets can become plugged with aged fuel that deteriorates into sticky varnish over time. Since carb internals are made of non-ferrous aluminum, brass, plastic and rubber that won’t rust, if it’s practical to drain them (shut off the gas manually first or look for a vacuum-operated-type petcock that is off whenever the bike is), this is your best bet for trouble-free operation when refilled. O-rings and seals have been known to dry out and leak when carbs are left dry for a very long time, but this is less likely than plugged jets or worse if they’re left wet.

Some carburetors have a drain bolt in the bottom of their float bowls, others have a drain screw. Don’t overtighten either one, and only drain carburetors (into something please, not just onto the bike and floor) when the bike is off and cold. Don’t run the bike until it dies to suck the rest out—this can draw dirt and debris from the bottom of the float bowl into the carburetor. I once bought a Honda multi that had been stored in a basement for 15 years with the carbs drained and stabilized fuel kept in the tank, and it was rust-free and fired right

burn off water and contaminants in the oil and exhaust). While you’re at it, pump the fork and shocks and work the brakes, clutch and shifter to keep seals flexible and lubricated.

PHOTO BY JOHN ETHELL

A Stable Relationship

Only a handful of states mandate the sale of 10% ethanol gasoline, and none we're aware of specifically prohibit the use of non-ethanol fuel, like many of the blends you can buy from VP Racing and some gas stations. up without carb service. If you’re careful, there’s no reason you can’t return newer, clean drained fuel to the tank.

Steel tanks on carbureted or fuelinjected bikes can rust inside, so it’s best to leave them at least ¾ full of fuel to which you have added stabilizer (more on this later). Some newer models have plastic-shrouded aluminum or plastic tanks, in which case it’s up to you, but make sure you stabilize it if you leave fuel in the tank. In really humid environments I would still keep an aluminum tank full.

Fuel injection systems seem much less susceptible to the ravages of stale fuel, and once full of stabilized fuel are almost carefree. In fact, some manufacturers warn against running their EFI bikes entirely out of fuel.

If you can’t drain carbs, after adding stabilizer to the fuel in the tank run the bike long enough to insure stabilized fuel has filled them, then shut off the bike and petcock. I carry a small bottle of stabilizer with me when I take out one of my less frequently ridden bikes, and add it at the gas station before riding home.

Err on the side of adding more stabilizer; you can’t overdose (within reason) with the products mentioned below. Stabilized fuel in the carbs does not guarantee that they won’t suffer from plugged passages or jets, however, and you should still run bikes kept this way at least every

three weeks. More often is simple insurance that you won’t need an expensive service—compare the cost of non-ethanol race gas and/or stabilizer to that of a carburetor rebuild and the former start to make economic sense. Just make sure you run the engine until it’s fully warm (to

A good ally in the fight against bad gas and fuel delivery issues is fuel stabilizer.

They’re not foolproof, but three we’ve found to provide consistent results with motorcycles are Star Tron Enzyme Fuel Treatment, Spectro FC Premium Fuel Conditioner & Stabilizer and Bel Ray All-in-One Fuel Treatment. There are others, but we lean toward these simply because they include motorcycles in their literature and FAQs and that gives us a warm, fuzzy feeling. All make lots of claims about their effectiveness that we have no way of proving or disproving, so just buy some and use it, or spend hours online researching them before you just buy some and use it. All of them offer smaller bottles and/or containers with measuring devices built-in to make carrying and using it while out on the bike easier.

The instructions for each will tell you how much to use, how long the fuel is usable when treated, etc. There are some consistent rules of thumb.

You generally only need to stabilize fuel if you won’t use it all up within two months (but carbureted bikes should still be run every couple of weeks as described above). Adding a little new gas or stabilizer to old gas won’t renew it, nor will adding more stabilizer to old stabilized gas extend its usable life. Overdosing is not an issue (unless you drink it, duh), and in my experience none of them will cure a plugged-up carb no matter how much you add to the fuel.

Your best bet is to avoid plugging it in the first place.

Good luck, and please write me with any questions, comments or dissimilar experiences!

Fuel treatments and stabilizers are not a panacea for ethanol, but they can help in conjunction with regular engine running.

Note: This story has been updated from the original version that ran in the June 2012 issue.

R I D E R M AG A Z I N E .CO M / F E B R UA RY 2020 / 55

PRODUCT SPOTLIGHT

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VISIBILITY

CHAIN GANG

ON THE ROAD

HIDDEN PACK

Add visibility to the saddlebags of your 2018 and newer Honda GL1800 Gold Wing with new GT Saddlebag Side Accents Lights from Big Bike Parts. These 12 x ¾-inch LED accent lights feature 18 red SMD LEDs per side, a subtle chrome design and a red reflector lens that can be wired as running lights or as turn signals. Attaches securely with acrylic doublesided tape. Comes with all needed components and sold as a pair. Part # 52-946; MSRP is $199.95.

Call (715) 234-3336 or visit bigbikeparts.com

D.I.D’s 120-link VX Series chains ($122.80) are highperformance, low-friction, long-life X-Ring chains that fit numerous street and off-road motorcycles ranging from 350 to 1,100cc.

The increased rigidity of VX Series chains reduces pin flex for a smoother ride and better throttle response.

Compared to D.I.D’s VO Series O-ring chains, the VX Series offers 32% to 41% (depending on size) longer life thanks to D.I.D’s patented X-Ring seal.

See your dealer or visit didchain.com

Continental has announced a new German-engineered sport-touring tire for the demanding rider, the ContiRoad. This tire features zero-degree steel belted construction for excellent high-speed stability, a proprietary RainGrip silica compound for wet conditions and a new MultiGrip compound that promises great dry traction with longlasting tread. The ContiRoad is available in two front and seven rear sizes; see website for pricing.

See your dealer or visit continental-tires.com

The StealthPack Jacket from Scorpion EXO offers clean, streamlined styling with a surprising little secret: a 20-liter backpack so subtly integrated into the chassis you wouldn’t even know it was there. The backpack, which includes a waterproof laptop compartment, is fully adjustable and ergonomically designed to distribute weight evenly across your torso. The StealthPack is available in Black, Gray or Sand in men’s sizes S-5XL for $199.95-$214.95.

See your dealer or visit scorpionusa.com

All of the goods and services listed in New & Cool are chosen by Rider’s editors based on the interest to readers. This section is provided free of charge to vendors of motorcycle products and services, who bear sole responsibility for the accuracy of claims and specifications contained therein.

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NAME CHANGE

COMFY BOOT

WAX + POLISH

TOUR COMFORT

Ecuador Freedom Bike Rental is now called South America Freedom Moto Turismo, reflecting its expansion into Peru, with exciting new tours into the less-traveled northern part of the country. Ride through some of the most spectacular scenery of the Andes, including cloud forests, UNESCO world heritage sites and twisting high-mountain passes. Tours include paved, dual-sport and unpaved routes; see website for schedule and pricing details.

Call (603) 617-2499 or visit freedombikerental.com

Combining high-end off-road-level protection with a boot that’s comfortable on or off the bike, the Adventure 2 Mid Gore-Tex is a unique twist on Sidi’s best-selling adventure boot.

This waterproof/breathable mid-height boot features replaceable ratchet straps, a bonded sole, a slim nonbootie design, a Velcro upper closure and reflective heel panels, and is CE approved.

The Adventure 2 Mid GoreTex is available in men’s Euro sizes 42-48 for $349.99.

Call (619) 401-4100 or visit motonation.com

Wax and polish in one go with Muc-Off Speed Polish ($12.99). Simply spray it on and buff to a deep shine.

Speed Polish contains pure carnauba, the hardest naturally occurring wax, for durability and protection, as well as beeswax, which is what creates the deep, glossy shine. It’s specifically formulated to leave a fast and easy water-resistant barrier on your motorcycle’s bodywork and metal parts. Suitable for use on paint, chrome, plastic and carbon fiber.

Visit us.muc-off.com

Look good and stay dry and comfortable in the new Powells-ST jacket from iXS. This full-featured touring jacket features a polyester shell with 2-layer solto-TEX waterproof membrane, a removable thermal liner and six vents, and it includes CE level 1 shoulder, elbow and back armor. The Powells-ST is available in a variety of colors in men’s sizes S-9XL (some sizes limited in color) and women’s sizes S-6XL (some sizes limited in color) for $279.95.

Call +49 (0)7631 180 40 or visit ixs.com

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PRODUCT EVALUATIONS

continued on page 60

HJC i10 Helmet I SEE A LOT OF HJC LIDS WHEN I’m out and about with other riders, which is no surprise: they’re attractive, functional and easy on the wallet. Its CL-17 has been a bestseller and a workhorse of the lineup for years, and for 2019 HJC released a new model to replace it, the i10. Its advanced polycarbonate composite shell has a fresh, modern look, with crown, forehead and chinbar intake vents and always-open exhaust vents at the rear, and the Taze graphic we tested (shown above) also features subtle silver reflective striping on the front, top, back and sides. The liner is removable and washable and the Pinlock-ready visor snaps on and off easily. The i10 is also ready to accept the optional built-in SmartHJC 20B or 10B Bluetooth communication system, or it can be used 5 8 / F E B R UA RY 2020 / R I D E R M AG A Z I N E .CO M

with a separate system from a manufacturer like Cardo or Sena.

My i10 was comfortable right out of the box, with ample room for speakers.

I would say fit is intermediate oval that leans just a hair toward round oval, but I didn’t experience any hotspots or pressure points. The chinbar and forehead vents are super easy to use with gloves on, but for some reason I struggled to locate and operate the top vents at times, usually when wearing thicker gloves.

The visor is easy to use too, with a large tab front and center that eliminates the fumbling at traffic lights I’ve experienced with some other brands, but I wish it had a smaller initial “de-fogging” opening. I also miss the convenience of a built-in drop-down sun visor, but if that’s a deal-breaker for you, HJC’s i70

(reviewed in the October 2019 issue and on ridermagazine.com) is a nice step up for not too much more dough.

With a lower-priced lid like the i10, your primary concessions are in the comfort category; at 3 lbs., 9 oz. my size small i10 is nearly 5 oz. heavier than a similarly featured high-end competitor.

That doesn’t sound like a lot, but after a full day of riding that third of a pound can become apparent. That said, the i10 is still a lot of helmet for the money, especially given it carries the newest Snell M2020 certification in addition to DOT. It’s available in sizes XS-3XL (3XL is DOT only) in five solid colors starting at $149.99, and in three graphics starting at $169.99.

—JENNY SMITH

FOR MORE INFORMATION: SEE YOUR DEALER OR VISIT HJCHELMETS.COM

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GEAR LAB continued on page 64 GEARLAB

Quad Lock Smartphone Case and Mount THE SMARTPHONE HAS BECOME THE UNIVERSAL device, providing us with multiple means of communication, access to the Internet, a camera, a GPS and much more. Mounting a smartphone to your motorcycle allows you to use it for navigation as well as audio prompts, music and calls if paired to a Bluetooth helmet communicator.

Mounts are like mousetraps—everybody has tried to build a better one. There’s a wide variety of mounting systems, most of which attach to the motorcycle’s handlebar, as well as a wide variety of phone cradles. The cradle is a critical part of the design because having a phone come loose and bounce down the freeway at 70 mph is heart wrenching, not to mention expensive and inconvenient. That happened to one of our staffers a few years ago, and I’ve been wary of smartphone mounts ever since.

Quad Lock is an Australian company that has designed a simple yet rather ingenious mounting system. It starts with the Quad Lock smartphone case, which is made of tough, smooth-yet-grippy polycarbonate with a shock-absorbing edgeto-edge shell. On the back of the case is a slightly raised dual-stage lock that Quad Lock says is strong enough to lift 160 pounds. The lock’s rim has four cutouts that match the four outer tabs on the mount. Place the phone on the mount so the tabs 6 0 / F E B R UA RY 2020 / R I D E R M AG A Z I N E .CO M

fit into the cutouts, turn the phone a few degrees right or left until the tabs slide under the lock’s rim and it clicks into place. Presto, the phone is secure.

To release it, just press down on the blue lever and rotate a few degrees until the phone pops out.

Installing the Quad Lock handlebar mount took only a few minutes using the provided hex wrench. With a little practice, locking the phone into the mount and releasing it again became second nature, and once the phone is secure it can be rotated 90 degrees to change the screen’s orientation between vertical and horizontal. Riding with my iPhone XS in the Quad Lock mount, it didn’t vibrate and when I used my hand to wiggle the phone it never budged. To manipulate the phone’s screen (when stopped of course), you may need touchscreen-friendly gloves.

The Quad Lock mount is light, compact and unobtrusive when not in use.

The black-only case is available for a wide range of Apple iPhone, Google Pixel and Samsung Galaxy models. A moto mount kit that includes the case, handlebar mount and waterproof “poncho” cover costs $79.90. The kit with a mirror mount is $69.90 or a fork mount is $89.90. Once you have the Quad Lock case, there are also mounts for your car, bicycle, belt, arm (for exercise), desk, wall or tripod, as well as a 1-inch ball adapter.

—GREG DREVENSTEDT

FOR MORE INFORMATION: VISIT AMAZON OR QUADLOCKCASE.COM

RIDER’SMALL

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GEAR LAB continued from page 60 GEARLAB

Aether Divide Jacket and Pants

MOTORCYCLE TOURING, especially of the adventure-ish sort that involves highly variable temperatures, precipitation and riding conditions, is best done with reliably protective apparel, and Aether’s Divide Jacket and Pants fit the bill. Aether (pronounced “ee-ther”) is a small, high-end apparel company based in Los Angeles that makes men’s and women’s gear for motorcycling, snow sports and other activities.

For several cold, windy and occa6 4 / F E B R UA RY 2020 / R I D E R M AG A Z I N E .CO M

sionally wet weeks, I wore Aether’s top-of-the-line Divide suit on a daily basis. The outer shell is made of premium Gore-Tex Pro fabric, a threelayer sandwich of abrasion-resistant nylon on the outside, a breathable, waterproof Gore-Tex membrane in the middle and a highly breathable Gore Micro Grid Backer lining on the inside.

All seams are sealed, all zippers are waterproof and there are double layers of nylon fabric in impact areas as

well as leather panels on the inner legs to reduce wear during stand-up riding.

Lining the jacket and pants is stretchy athletic mesh that promotes internal airflow, and there’s adjustable D3O CE Level 1 armor on the shoulders, elbows, chest, knees and hips and a CE Level 2 back protector.

The Divide suit does an excellent job of keeping out rain and wind, but it offers limited ventilation; the only vents are located under the armpits and down both sides of the back, with none on the pants. I was able to open the underarm vents while sitting on a bike, but I struggled to close them again without assistance. On cold days, you’ll need to add your own insulated mid layers.

Style, fit, feel and attention to detail are commensurate with the Divide’s premium price tag. The more I wore it the more I appreciated the Divide’s high-quality design and construction, from snaps to stitching to zippers.

There are many clever details, such as the thumb holes under the jacket’s outer snaps that make them easy to close with one hand; soft lamb leather around the collar with an adjustable neck gaiter to keep out water and wind; wind cuffs at the wrists and bottom of the jacket; extra-wide belt loops on the pants; and zippered gussets up the back of the calf that allow them to fit over large ADV/MX boots. There are various adjustment straps to dial in fit and plenty of pockets, too—four external pockets on the jacket and six on the pants, all of them with waterproof zippers, plus a small internal pocket on the jacket.

The Divide Jacket is available in Storm, Dark Discovery Green (shown) and Blue Streak in men’s sizes XS-XXL for $995. The Divide Pants are available in Storm or Jet Black (shown) in men’s sizes XS-XXL for $695.

—GREG DREVENSTEDT

FOR MORE INFORMATION: CALL (323) 992-3988 OR VISIT AETHERAPPAREL.COM

CONTINUED FROM PAGE 66

of nitrogen gas made sure the shock would not bottom out.

Wheels were a 21-incher on the front with a 2.75 Yokohama trials tire, and an 18-incher at the back, with a 3.50 tire. The Takasago wheels each had a rim lock, a hint as to the expectation of a goodly amount of abuse. The five-inch drum brakes on both wheels were adequate in the dirt but rather weak when used on the pavement. The tubular frame cradled the engine/transmission, with a large backbone concealing the shock absorber. The subframe elevated the saddle to some 32 inches above the ground, the suspension allowing for 10 inches of ground clearance. The center-axle 31mm fork had 30 degrees of rake, five inches of trail, providing some seven inches of travel. Almost 53 inches ran between the axles.

The engine was semi-new, still with an oversquare 56 x 50mm bore and stroke totaling 123cc, but now with radial fins on the cylinder head for better cooling. A 24mm Mikuni slide carburetor using reed-valve technology fed gas and air into the crankcase, while Yamaha’s Autolube sent oil to where it should go. An aluminum sleeve fit into the cylinder, utilizing a five-port induction system, with a compression ratio of 7.2 to 1. Power was on the discreet side, with some 10 horses at 7,000 rpm, but that might have enhanced sales, as it was not enough to get into serious trouble.

The Autolube oil container, holding a little more than a quart, was discreetly concealed behind the leftside panel, and once the panel was removed the reservoir could be swung out and refilled. A little light went on in the instrument cluster when the oil got low. The oil-injection system did vary the amount going into the engine depending on throttle load, which served to reduce oil usage as well as prevent fouling the plug.

To get rid of that troublesome need to occasionally set timing, as well as check points, the DT125 was blessed with a magnetically triggered capacitor-discharge ignition system, better known by its abbreviation, CDI.

This benefited the engine by offering a quicker spark, reducing the possibility that any of that oil and gas mixture in the combustion chamber would foul the plug. The magneto also served to keep the small six-volt battery charged.

The exhaust system was well designed. Enduro bikes tend to fall over on occasion, and the idea is that the rider disentangles him- or herself, gets up, lifts the bike, pulls in the clutch, gives a kick and away they go.

Presuming no damage to the header pipe or muffler. The DT125 header went up and back under the right side of the tank, and then crossed over to the muffler and spark arrestor on the left side, tucked away behind frame members. Very protected, very efficient.

Getting power to the rear wheel was done via helical gears running the ponies back to a five-plate wet clutch and a very good six-speed transmission, where the top two gears were actually overdrive. A minimalist chain guard covered the chain, with sprockets having 15 and 49 teeth allowing for a solo rider to exceed the 55 mph national speed limit. The relatively comfy saddle was capable of seating two friendly riders.

High fenders kept mud-collection problems away, and turn signals kept the feds happy, along with a speedo and tach, indicator lights and a horn.

And to ride? Fun! Within reason.

Turn the petcock, pull the choke knob if cold, turn the key and kick to start.

The little engine did best, of course, when a rider weighed less than 200 pounds, but it was happy scrabbling in the dirt. With a few minor changes this model lasted through 1981, after which two-stroke street bikes became illegal in the U.S.

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R I D E R M AG A Z I N E .CO M / F E B R UA RY 2020 / 65

YAMAHA DT 125 MX: 1977- 1981

RETROSPECTIVE he Japanese were selling a lot of “street-scramblers” in the late 1960s, but these were merely street bikes with upswept pipes.

Yamaha, in particular, was advertising three twin-cylinder “scramblers” in 1968, the same year it brought out the DT-1 Enduro 250 single, soon followed by the AT-1 Enduro 125. That enduro nomenclature made a bike a little more serious about bad roads, but still, it was a compromise, doing neither street nor dirt extremely well.

Despite its imperfections, the 125 changed the world for a lot of Americans. With a gallon of gas in the small 1.8-gallon tank this little charmer weighed in at about 220 pounds, light enough that just about anybody could pick it up. When buyers scooped up all the AT units that first year Yamaha understood it was on to something profitable.

Move along to 1974, minor improvements were made, and model codes were changed. The bike was redesignated the DT125—the DT now denoting all of the enduros, from 125 to 400. The 125 chassis was quite conventional, with a cradle-style tubular-steel frame, dual shocks at the rear and a pair of 18-inch wheels.

For 1977 a new version of the DT125 appeared known as the DT125 MX, instantly recognizable as it came with a single shock rear end, just like the Yamaha’s YZ Monocross (or MX for short) racers. As they liked to say those many years ago, “That looks really cool!” Image has always been important in the motorcycle world, and this had great image. Like the racers it used a cantilever-style swingarm, with a long DeCarbon hydraulic shock running all the way to the steering head, under the gas tank. The lengthy damper proved to be excellent for shock absorption, allowing the rear wheel to follow the bumps and dips rather than bounce over them. A dose

T

CONTINUED ON PAGE 65

YEAR/MODEL: 1977 YAMAHA DT125 MX OWNER: DON CARVER HOMETOWN: CRESTON, CALIFORNIA

6 6 / F E B R UA RY 2020 / R I D E R M AG A Z I N E .CO M

Story and Photos by CLEMENT SALVADORI