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2022 YAMAHA YZF-R6 GYTR
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THE R6 LIVES ON AS YAMAHA INTRODUCES ITS CLOSED COURSE, COMPETITION ONLY YZF-R6 GYTR.
Yamaha closed the chapter and said farewell to the production-based street YZF-R6 when it was announced that the R6 would not be in the 2022 sportbike model lineup. It was noted that the end of production was solely for the street-legal version of the motorcycle. The reality is that the R6 is one of the most contentious and one of the most popular motorcycles on the race track in the supersport class.
So in the spirit of, "never say never..." or "we never said that we were stopping completely...", Yamaha announced the 2022 YZF-R6 GYTR, a limited production closedcourse only race bike.
The 2022 YZF-R6 GYTR is a made-to-order, full race spec machine composed of GYTR and aftermarket components.
For starters, the YZF-R6 GYTR comes equipped with an Akrapovic full race system, quick shifter, GYTR ECU, ABS emulator, and a GYTR YZF-R6 on/off Switch. Also in the kit: a racing fuel cap, front brake lever guard, shark fin rear sprocket guard, and YZF-R6 race rear sets. Additional premium bits include GYTR YZF-R6 stainless steel brake lines, race bodywork in primer white with a GYTR YZF-R6 race seat, rear stand hooks, and a reverse shifting kit.
The 2022 Yamaha YZF-R6 GYTR will be available to order from authorized Yamaha dealers beginning in April 2022 for the MSRP of $18,399.
MOTO GUZZI V1000 MANDELLO
THE FUTURISTIC V1000 MENDELLO MADE ITS DEBUT AT THE PRESENTATION OF THE FUTURE HOME OF THE MOTO GUZZI FACTORY AND MUSEUM.
Although its official presentation will be held at the 2021 EICMA International Motorcycle Show in Milan later this year, the Moto Guzzi V1000 Mandello made a guest appearance when Moto Guzzi released its plans for a new factory and museum.
Designed by architect and designer Greg Lynn, the new factory and museum will be located in Mandello del Lario, Italy. More than a factory and a museum, the concept is to create a destination, complete with a hotel, event space, and restaurants for Moto Guzzi riders and brand enthusiasts. Construction is scheduled to begin before the end of 2021 with a completion period in the first half of 2025.
As part of the “Road to 2121: Moto Guzzi's next 100 years” presentation, the new V1000 Mandello was displayed in two colorways. The sneak peek was only that, a sneak peek with a full and proper unveil to be made on November 3, 2021 at the EICMA show.
THE DISTINGUISHED GENTLEMAN'S RIDE RENEWS PARTNERSHIP WITH TRIUMPH
MARK HAWWA'S DISTINGUISHED GENTLEMAN'S RIDE RENEWS ITS AGREEMENT FOR TRIUMPH MOTORCYCLES TO REMAIN THE MAIN SPONSOR OF THE DGR FOR THE COMING FIVE YEARS.
Triumph Motorcycles will continue as the main sponsor of the annual Distinguished Gentleman's Ride for the next five years, per the renewal of the sponsorship agreement between the two. Triumph has been the main sponsor of the DGR since 2014, helping founder Mark Hawwa develop the event into the global experience that it is today.
The Distinguished Gentleman’s Ride was founded in Sydney, Australia by Mark Hawwa in 2012, to raise funds for Movember, bringing awareness for prostate cancer research and men’s mental health, by uniting classic and vintage style motorcycle riders, old and new all around the world.
“In 2014 when we first partnered with Triumph Motorcycles, I was incredibly excited. They are the only motorcycle manufacturer that I felt perfectly fit with The Distinguished Gentleman’s Ride. We’ve done some wonderful things since then; together we have been able to reward some of our top and most dedicated fundraisers with brand new bikes from the modern classic range and built the custom one-of-one 2021 Triumph Thruxton RS. Today, 8 years later as we announce the 5-year continuation of this partnership, I am even more excited than I was in 2014 because, with the next 5 years, I know that we can do even more together with the goal of raising funds and awareness of men’s health.” - Mark Hawwa. Founder/Director of The Distinguished Gentleman's Ride.
Since its first year in 2012, the Distinguished Gentleman's Ride and its global community have raised almost $30 million dollars for men's health. The DGR currently operates in over 700 cities and 114 countries around the world.
SUZUKI 2022 GSX-R MODEL LINEUP THE 2022 SUZUKI GSX-R MODEL LINEUP INCLUDES UPDATES FOR THE GSX-R1000, GSX-R1000R, GSX-R750 AND GSX-R600.
The 2022 Suzuki GSX-R1000 derives notes from the winning competition machines in MotoGP and MotoAmerica. Equipped with traction control and a bi-directional quick shifter, the 2022 model is right at home on the track as it is on the streets. Features include big-piston forks, Brembo T-drive rotors and Monobloc brake calipers. The 2022 Suzuki GSX-R1000 is powered by the tried and true 988cc inline four-cylinder engine, housed in the compact, light, and strong chassis of the GSX-R750. For 2022, the $15,849 GSX-R1000 is available in two color options: Metallic Matte Black No. 2, and Glass Matte Mechanical Gray.
The GSX-R1000R offers the highest level
of performance in Suzuki's 2022 sportbike class. Traction control, launch control, and a bi-directional quick shifter get things rolling in the features department. The 2022 GSXR1000R employs Showa BFF and BFRC-Lite suspension components, stainless steel brake lines, radially mounted Brembo Monobloc brake calipers and a pair of 320mm Brembo T-drive floating brake rotors. Color options for the 2022 Suzuki GSX-R1000R include a Metallic Triton Blue with Metallic Mystic Silver ($17,999), Metallic Matte Black with Glass Matte Mechanical Gray, and Metallic Matte Black ($17,999).
In the middleweight class, the 2022 Suzuki GSX-R750 (Glass Blaze Orange with Glass Sparkle Black and Glass Matte Mechanical Gray with Pearl Brilliant White - $12,599) and GSX-R750Z, (Metallic Triton Blue with Metallic Mystic Silver - $12,699), are powered by fuel-injected, 750cc, four-cylinder engines. Features offered include the Suzuki Drive Mode Selector, adjustable Showa Big Piston Front Fork (BPF) and remote reservoir rear shock, and twin Brembo Monobloc, radially mounted front brake calipers with fully floating stainless steel brake rotors.
Last in the 2022 model lineup, are the Suzuki GSX-R600 and GSX-R600Z. A twinspar aluminum frame houses a compact, fuel-injected, 599cc, four-cylinder engine, that is suspended below the frame to keep mass low and the wheelbase short for optimized handling. Color options for the 2022 GSX-R600 include Glass Matte Mechanical Gray with Pearl Brilliant White and Glass Blaze Orange with Glass Sparkle Black ($11,499). The GSX-R600Z will be available in Metallic Triton Blue with Metallic Mystic Silver ($11,599).
22 | SPORTBIKESINCMAG.COM | SEPTEMBER 2021
BLACK/WHITE
MSRP@ $349.99 SIZES: SM THRU 2XL (Only Black/Black available in 3XL)
BROWN/ORANGE
BLACK/ORANGE
BROWN/CREAM
NEW! GREY/WHITE
NEW! OX BLOOD/CREAM TO FIND YOUR LOCAL DEALER VISIT:
WHERE R WORLD MEETS YOURS.
2021 RWORLD LOGO
2022 YZF® -R7
A new generation Supersport for the next generation of rider. The all-new YZF-R7 combines Yamaha’s legendary styling with an ultra-thin and lightweight chassis and an advanced CP2 engine that provides torquey performance on both the track and the street.
YamahaMotorsports.com
APRILIA'STUONO V4
TUONO V4
WORDS: PETER JACKSON IMAGES: LARRY CHEN
A NIP HERE, A TUCK THERE, AND A NEW EURO 5 STICKER IS ALL APRILIA NEEDED TO DO TO BRING THE STUPENDOUS TUONO V4 INTO A NEW DECADE.
AT FIRST GLANCE, you could be forgiven for thinking the 2021 Aprilia Tuono V4 is an all-new motorcycle.
New LED front and rear lights and sculptured inward side winglets; a new, 48 percent stiffer swingarm taken directly off the RSV4; and a split down the middle to further differentiate the base model from the Tuono V4 Factory. These are all signs of a brand-new bike, right? Well, not entirely. Normally, when someone writes a sentence like that, it will lead to some disappointing ramble about the new bike not being the latest and greatest, the fastest, or the most techy.
But not here.
That’s because the Aprilia Tuono V4 is still one of the very finest motorcycles created in the last 20 years, and, as such, Aprilia didn’t need to reinvent the wheel with the new model. They just gave the wheel a spit and polish.
Perhaps the most significant detail of the new Tuono V4 is that splitting of the model. Previously, the base model was just a watered-down version of the all-balls Factory edition, but now Aprilia has finally gone the way of BMW with their S 1000 R/S 1000 XR and KTM with the 1290 Super Duke R and Super Duke GT and created a sport-touring version for the $15,999 MSRP Tuono V4.
It’s not all that different to the Factory: 20 mm higher-set
handlebars, a new subframe with a wider passenger seat and lower footpegs, optimized luggage options like side and tank bags, and a taller windscreen. Oh, and blander colors than the red and black the Tuono Factory gets. Still fitted to the touring model is the conventionally-adjusted, fully-adjustable Sachs suspension, while rubber is the Pirelli Rosso Corsa III tire.
The $19,499 MSRP Tuono V4 Factory, meanwhile, gets the semi-active Ohlins Smart EC 2.0 suspension, a short tinted windscreen, the RSV4 tail section and passenger footpeg set-up, racier colors, a polished frame, and track-specific Pirelli Diablo Supercorsa SP rubber.
The rest of the specs are basically identical between the two models. That buxom 1077 cc, 175 hp V4 remains largely unchanged except it now comes with Euro 5 compliance. There are new settings for the quick shifter and the electronics have been reworked via the bigger five-inch TFT display.
Now you’ve got six riding modes (three for the road, three for the track), cruise control, three-stage engine brake, ABS, launch control and power modes, eight-stage traction control, six-stage wheelie control and turn-by-turn navigation accessed by a new mission control switch block on the left handlebar. About the only thing the electronics can’t do is make you a cappuccino.
The master of this electronic smorgasbord is the new Marelli ECU 11MP, which has a four-times faster clock frequency and four times the amount of memory than last year. In laymen’s terms, the ECU can now calculate everything happening much faster and more accurately, like when hammering the brakes and engaging cornering ABS while simultaneously monitoring traction control and engine brake level. The electronics could do all this stuff before, it’s just that now it does it better.
From the hot seat, the Tuono V4 Factory feels almost identical to before. The Ohlins Smart EC 2.0 system is a gem and
THE TUONO V4 FACTORY IS GOD’S GIFT TO CORNER APEXES. IT’S A MACHINE THAT EXUDES CONFIDENCE.
THE APRILIA TUONO V4 IS STILL ONE OF THE VERY FINEST MOTORCYCLES CREATED IN THE LAST 20 YEARS, AND, AS SUCH, APRILIA DIDN’T NEED TO REINVENT THE WHEEL WITH THE NEW MODEL.
handles the kind of shit roads we ride on in SoCal with robotic ease. Switch the system to Sport and you’ve got a taught, firm ride for the canyons, perfect for loading up the front tire and hammering into long, sweeping bends. Switch it to Road mode and you’ve got a Tuono that’s plush and easy to ride in traffic. It’s the best of both worlds.
The Tuono V4 Factory is god’s gift to corner apexes. It’s a machine that exudes confidence, allowing the rider to trust what’s happening underneath them, safe in the knowledge that the bike isn’t going to do anything stupid. This is a precise, corner-slashing tool.
The new Euro 5 motor has a touch of a flat spot between 4-6000 rpm, but it’s not as bad as something like the BMW S 1000RR or Honda CBR1000RR-R SP, which damn near fall on their faces through that engine speed.
Aprilia’s more powerful RSV4 simply bulldozes its way past the emissions block but the Tuono labors a little, but it’s a small price to pay for having a Euro 5-compliant V4 beneath you.
I only got an hour on the now-touring specific Tuono, and although the bones are similar, the ride is indeed quite different. You’re sitting at a straighter angle thanks to the higher handlebars, and the taller screen knocks a large portion of the wind from the rider’s helmet. You ride more sedately as you can’t quite load up the front tire like on the Factory, but the main point of this model is to make your very brave passenger a bit more comfortable, which it will no doubt do.
The Aprilia Tuono V4 and V4 Factory are absolutely near the top of the naked bike tree, even though at heart, they are not that different than before. The Factory, in particular, is so hard to fault. It talks to you, guiding you through corners and meeting you with the most beautiful of motors for the exit. Riding a Tuono is a love experience. It makes you glad you got your license.
BMW'S 2022 R18 BAND TRANSCONTINENTAL
WORDS: PETER JACKSON IMAGES: KEVIN WING
THINGS ARE CHANGING at BMW Motorrad. As part of a full-blown assault on the American touring market, the R18 model range has now increased to four machines (R18 First Edition, R18 Classic, and now the R18 B and R18 Transcontinental). It’s a confident stance from the company, who developed their largest-ever boxer motor for the project, and have delivered machines that are indeed beautiful, with more than a slight German twist on the American aesthetic. The B (and Transcontinental for that matter) are not complete carbon copies of the two R18’s that were put on sale last year. Both machines share a revised steel backbone chassis with steeper steering geometry that has the forks mounted behind the steering head, resulting in quicker, more responsive steering. This has also yielded three degrees more lean angle to a claimed 35 degrees, at which point both machines turn into massive angle grinders as the floorboards get crunched in the tarmac.
SBI was invited to sample the B and Transcontinental at the recent national launch in Colorado, and we spent the first half of the day navigating the early morning Denver traffic on the B. This was handy because running traffic on a 942 pound Transcontinental wasn’t anyone’s idea of fun, and the 877 pound B model proved surprisingly adept at getting us away from the tin tops and out onto the open road. Winding that gigantic 244 pound, 1802 cc flat-twin motor out on the freeways between Denver and our lunch stop of the Estes Park and the Stanley Hotel (where "The Shining" was filmed) was, for us at least, a little disappointing. Such a massive motor needs more than 90 hp on tap, although if you keep away from the upper revs and stay below 4500, you will at least stay within the motor’s prime operating range.
There are three modes: Rain, Roll and the high-performance Rock. And even in Rock I was asking for more than the motor would give in either B of Transcontinental form.
There was also an issue with the clutch on our Transcontinental where it would excessively slip in the lower gears. This was an issue with the original R18 that BMW fixed with a mapping change but given the four models were developed side by side, BMW has not entirely fixed these issues.
The clutch slipping issue, at least for me, didn’t happen as badly on the B, so whether it’s down to the extra 67 pounds of the Transcontinental or not, remains to be seen. I suspect the problem is much more a design flaw than a simple mapping one.
Another issue was the excessive heat given off by the big twin. Despite having its cylinders splayed out the sides, cooling was still an issue, especially in traffic. Air/oil-cooled motorcycles need air to cool them, so don’t be surprised if either machine turns into a mobile sauna in traffic.
Both machines are graced with a stunning cockpit with a quartet of analog gauges for revs, speed, fuel and a quite useless “power reserve” gauge that tells you how much of the available 90 hp you’re using at a given time. Gun the motor and the gauge drops to zero. Roll on the freeway and the needle will hover around the 90 hp mark. It’s a silly add-on that feels like it was placed there to give the cockpit some symmetry. I think a classic analog clock would have been better suited to the task.
Below the gauges sits a magnificent 10.25inch TFT dash for all your usual trip needs, plus access for the Marshall Gold Series
The 877 pound B model proved surprisingly adept at getting us away from the tin tops and out onto the open road...
Both machines share a revised steel backbone chassis with steeper steering geometry that has the forks mounted behind the steering head, resulting in quicker, more responsive steering...
Audio sound system. Excellent sound, a neat design, but pairing my phone and thus playing streaming music proved annoyingly difficult through the dash. I suspect, in time, owners will get used to the system’s quirks but trying to play music from Spotify meant I had to change songs one track at a time, rather than just playing it through.
In $27,145 MSRP Transcontinental form, you get twin 27-liter side bags and a massive 48 liter top case, plus the larger screen, and this plus the associated bodywork adds that 67 pounds to the game. For me, the Transcontinental is absolutely on the edge of too big, whereas the $24,095 B will at least give a bit more spritely performance. That’s where I’d park my money but I wouldn’t be taking either over the Harley-Davidson Street Glide, which offers less weight and more power for a given application.
BMW has created four beautiful machines in the R18 line-up, but I can’t help feel the mark has been slightly missed. You can’t blame them for trying. BMW has been desperate for a slice of the cruiser market for years now, but against Harley-Davidson, the undisputed kings of the category, they are not quite there. Yet.
