Motor Cycle Monthly

Hello from the Editor of MCM On the cusp

It’s at this time of year when the rumours, gossip and half-focused spy shots of the past six months start to make sense. Whispers of the new motorcycles to come are solidifying into actual details and, in early circumstances, going one step further to become photos and videos of what we’ll all want to be riding in 2020.

In this issue of the world’s largest motorcycle monthly publication (that’s us) you’ll find photos and details of Triumph’s Street Triple 765 RS – the roadster with an amazing chassis and handling that’s powered by the firm’s Moto2 engine. You’ll also see the photos and details of the new Honda Africa Twins, the CB1100RS special, the BMW R18 cruiser that you can put a deposit on, and loads more.

The motorcycle world is changing. We have more diversity than ever before, meaning that if you’re looking for a very specific type of motorcycle with a very specific set of skills, then you can find it. We’re all looking forward to the smorgasboard of new metal on the way, are you?

Speaking of new metal and the world in which it’s arriving, have you seen the story alongside about Charley and Ewan doing the Long Way Up? On Harley-Davidson’s LiveWire? That’s the electric Harley that we rode and featured the world launch of in the last issue.

I was the rider on the bike for that and I gotta tell ya, it’s a helluva fun bike to throw through the twisties.

On the smooth and winding roads of Portland, Oregon, that bike was one of the best you can have. Yeah, a Harley of all things that went like a stabbed rat and hustled through the corners like a pukka sportbike.

Out of the few of us lucky enough to be on the launch, we were all caught out a bit by just how competent a hooner this motorcycle was. The chassis and brakes were excellent and the way that electric motor dumped the torque from 1rpm was both addictive and satisfying.

Here’s the thing, though. That Harley is great to ride, but it has a limited range on a full charge. After 66 miles or so of quick riding the battery on my bike was down to 13%; it had started out on a full charge. So quick riding saps the juice (the bike itself is limited to 115mph top end to stop you going quicker and sucking up juice more rapidly), the chassis is set up for sporty riding, and the riding position isn’t too prone-y, but it’s definitely not what you’d call a tourer.

So how on earth are Charley and Ewan going to get on riding through the south of America on these things? If you were talking petrol engines, it’d be like riding a Suzuki SV650 on rough terrain with a half-sized petrol tank for thousands of miles. Tell you what, it’ll be virtually unmissable TV when it’s broadcast. Good luck to the pair of them.