Into the New Decade
‘There appears to be a whole wealth of great bikes that are hitting the market this year. The problem will be which one to choose,’ says design guru Glynn Kerr
About the time this article hits the press, we’ll be entering the main 2020 buying season for many markets in the northern hemisphere. in fact, when i lived in bavaria, there was just one month, april, when the bike market came alive. From November each year, there was a good chance you’d be under a blanket of snow, so insurance companies offered motorcyclists a unique deal. You could pay for insurance for just six months, but be awarded the no-claims bonus for an entire year.
that was the up-side of being a bavarian motorcyclist. the down-side was having precisely one month to sell your old bike in any given year: april. classics were another matter. i did sell a 1938 Victoria and a 1959 moto Guzzi Falcone sport in other months, but unless you were prepared to take a painful loss, plain second-hand stuff that didn’t sell by may stayed in the garage until the following year. in theory, dealer trade-ins were available year-round, if one accepted the unfavourable values offered against new, full-price stock, although they too worked around a one-month annual peak. For a further five months they mostly concentrated on servicing and repairs, after which they just went skiing until the next thaw. about now, those chaps will be bracing themselves for the next 30-day explosion and this year there is a huge array of new models to tempt potential buyers into the showrooms.
bmW now have so many models in their line-up that it covers every sector from electric scooters to superbikes, baggers and, shortly expected, old-style cruisers. there are already 26 models available in the us. the only way the company can expand any more will be to annex Ktm and invade poland. but it’s the big chunk in the middle of the range that has seen the greatest expansion, with the F 900 r and Xr adding to the line-up this year.
triumph clearly have bmW in their sights with the tiger 900 series, although the heavily revised rocket 3r and Gt triples are aiming squarely for Ducati Diavel territory. and it’s a pretty convincing attack, with a more dynamic stance combined with an even bigger engine. each cylinder boasts of no less than 819 cc, the engine producing a maximum torque of
221 Nm at 4,000 rpm. to put that in perspective, a 2020 harley-Davidson 114 Fat boy has 161 Nm, albeit at a thou’ lower revs. the high-spec rocket 3 tFc (triumph Factory custom) was already launched last year and the us allocation of the production run, limited to a total of 750 units worldwide, has already been sold out. From January 2020, the basic r and Gt versions take over, although there are plenty of factory options available to raise the game. and you can bet that further variations on these two models, such as full-dress touring versions, will be offered in due course.
in the interest of full disclosure, i should mention that you can probably blame me for the twin “bug-eye” lights on the rocket. that started with a design proposal for the early speed triple, which made its way to production, although in a more basic form than the raked-back style shown in my sketches. the newer models have progressed considerably, but we’re back to the old round look on the rocket, albeit now festooned with leDs. some ideas come back to haunt you.
as the super-cruiser category seems to be hotting up, it’s a pity that harley-Davidson got out of the game by dropping the V-rod from the range. the breakout and FXDr go part-way, but they’re not in the same league. having been an early contributor to the V-rod project, it’s a shame it wasn’t developed further to compete in this newly developing scene.
staying with the motor company, 2020 should see some of
the models unveiled last year on sale, each expanding their own market reach into new territories. With indian stealing a good chunk of their sales, expansion is something the company desperately needs to do. the bronx looks the business and clearly aims for the Ducati streetfighter market, although i can’t help thinking that we’re back into buell territory. it will be interesting to see if, minus the trademark buell quirkiness and carrying the official h-D badge, it can hit volume sales that eluded eric’s own offerings.
the stripped-down rolling chassis for the pan america adventure tourer shown at the 2019 milan eicma was a convincingly rugged piece of hardware, although the bodywork, while appearing admiringly anti-styling, misses the mark. the bmW Gs (and its numerous Gs-inspired competitors) have realized that a functional rather than stylized look is a vital part of the image, but there’s a difference between utilitarian and plain ugly. the headlamp and fairing are mostly responsible, so let’s hope customer feedback will suggest some modifications ahead of the final production model, provided it’s not already too late. if it is, there will doubtless be plenty of after-market screens available in due course to lessen the embarrassment of future owners.
the focal point for 2020, however, will be how the liveWire will be received in the market. the recent styling upgrades have both improved the looks and reinforced the corporate identity. harley-Davidson have shown they can produce an electric bike against all the odds. the question now will be if they can sell it.
the same can be said of the numerous start-ups that are trying to enter the electricbike market, the latest being Vancouver-based Damon motorcycles. their hypersport model, which made its début at the consumer electronics show in las Vegas in January, promises a top speed of 200 mph (322 km/h) and a range of 200 miles (322 km) in top spec, although, presumably, not simultaneously. but it’s the integrated electronic features that set this bike apart, in particular their trademarked “copilot” 360-degree advanced warning system that monitors potential traffic danger and the “shift” system that can change the position of the seat, foot-pegs, handlebars, and windscreen, all on the fly. bookings are already open and deliveries are expected to begin in 2021.
Winglets were the Gp innovation that last year started to find its way on to production models, such as the Ducati panigale V4. this year, the honda cbr1000rr-r sp (or “Fireblade”, which is much easier to pronounce) will join it in europe, although americans will have to wait until 2021 for deliveries. While the Ducati goes all out for the Gp look, with its wings protruding proudly in the air, the honda does things in a more controlled manner, its triple stacked winglets contained within
Another machine I could take a fancy to is KTM’s new 890 Duke R. It should be a delight on twisting mountain roads. The styling is Kiska at their best
flared bodywork ducts. it’s an impressive and purposeful looking device, although, with a rumoured price tag of around $50k (rs 35 lakh), the clientele will be limited to a few fortunate and wealthy individuals.
at least you can ride one on the road, though. if you have over $100k (rs 70 lakh) burning a hole in your portfolio, you could blow it on a brough superior aston martin. that will be limited to the racetrack, although given the lack of wind protection, it’s unlikely you’ll be winning many races. i sense the presence of boxer bikes owner thierry henriette, who was pivotal in the brough resurrection. i’ll pass on the amb001, thanks all the same. Given a small windfall, it’s the 2020 Ducati panigale V2 that’s more likely to find a home in my own garage. With a base price of $16,495 (rs 11.5 lakh), it almost seems a bargain.
another machine i could take a fancy to is Ktm’s new 890 Duke r. With a dry weight of just 166 kg, matched with a twincylinder engine producing around 120 hp, it should be a delight on twisting mountain roads. the styling is Kiska at their best.
there are some curiosities, too, such as suzuki’s V-strom 1050 Xt, which goes all-out for the Dr big look from the late 1980s. i’ve always had a problem with the regular V-strom’s quirky-duck look, but whether enough people remember the Dr big or care enough to actually buy the 1050 seems questionable.
having been a big fan of mV agusta’s design director, adrian morton’s, work, enough to acquire an earlier brutale, i’m having problems with some of his later creations. the new brutale rr-based rush is so detail-laden that it’s starting to look cluttered and the retro-look front and rear circular lights seem at odds with the super-modern body styling. the enclosed rear wheel cover takes some getting used to, too. it’s fresh, but it does the wrong thing for visual weight, making the back look heavy. that’s fine on the latest Fat boy, but sports bike proportions have different requirements.
but my issues with the rush don’t even start to compare with my feelings over the superveloce 800. it has some overtones of the mV Zagato F4Z, which was refreshingly different, if a little odd, in typical Zagato style. the superveloce prototype may have been awarded “most beautiful bike of the show” at the 2018 milan eicma (italians voting for italians, perhaps), but i have similar problems with the neo and retro balance as with the rush — the mixture of soft and simple versus sharp and aggressive. my chief issue, though, is with the extreme front overhang, which, when mixed with the short rear, makes it look as if the rider has braked too hard and the bodywork has slid forward by a foot. it also looks as though it would tip forward on to its nose once the rider dismounts. the steam-punk freight-train look fairing is fine, but the hard-edged wings that cut into it sit uncomfortably. it’s a love-it-or-hate-it design and i’m sure there will be plenty who are in the former camp. it’s a bold statement, but too much of a shock for traditionalists.
there are plenty of modern and balanced designs to choose from, like Yamaha’s revised tracer 700 which goes r1-style in the headlamp department. in fact, there appears to be a whole wealth of great bikes that are hitting the market this year. the problem will be which one to choose. that and the small windfall i mentioned earlier.