New Metal 2014
NEW METAL 2014
IGNITION
NEWS
Want proof that it's a great time to be a motorcyclist? Check out these exciting new bikes.
HARLEY-DAVIDSON STREET 500/750
Harley's first all-new bike in 13 years will be available as a 500 and a 750 when it goes on sale this spring, priced at $6,750 and $7,500, respectively. Will this blacked-out and easily customizable Harley with a fairing inspired by the XLCR café racer of the 1970s lure young urban buyers? Milwaukee thinks so, and it has chosen to power the Street with a liquid-cooled 60-degree V-twin that features chain-driven single overhead camshafts operating four valves per cylinder via roller rockers with screw adjusters. Called the Revolution X, this wet-sump powerplant with single balance shaft traces its lineage back to the V-Rod. Both displacements are redlined at 8,000 rpm, and power is sent rearward via a six-speed transmission and Harley's familiar belt drive. The steel perimeter frame works with a pair of shocks and a conventional fork that offer 2 inches more travel than is found in an Iron 883. "We wanted the bike to be light and fun and have a more neutral riding position," explains Korry Vorndran, Harley's manager of product development, who adds that the Street weighs 480 pounds wet, roughly 80 pounds less than an Iron 883. Streets forthe US are built in Kansas City, Missouri; Streets for India, Italy, Spain, and Portugal are built at Harley's plant in Bawal, India.
Andrew Bornhop
KAWASAKI Z1000
Following its last redesign in 2010, the year it won Cycle World's Best Standard honors, Kawasaki's Z1000 has been one of the few Japanese nakeds to go head to head with Europe's finest. Now, for 2014, boasting radical "sugomi'' styling, the stomping 1,043cc inline-four engine has been worked over with new intake cams, revised velocity stacks, and more aggressive ECU settings for improved throttle response and more bottom-to-midrange power. Chassis upgrades include a Showa Separate Function Big Piston Fork; radial-mount, four-piston, monoblock front brake calipers with revised ABS pump; and lighter cast aluminum supersport-style wheels. The new Z1000 will be available in Golden Blazed Green or Metallic Graphite Gray for $11,999. Blake Conner
BMW S1000R
The naked four-cylinder BMW sportbike we've been dreaming about for nearly a year has finally arrived. It's called the S1000R, and it's essentially an 51000RR superbike with reduced bodywork and better everyday rideability, thanks to more upright ergonomics and a much broader swath of torque that comes at a slight expense in peak power. BMW claims the aluminum-framed S1000R-which arrives in early 2014 and has Rain and Road riding modes-puts out 160 hp at 11,000 rpm, whereas the RR puts out a claimed 179. But the new bike, with its better midrange power, programmable quickshifter, Race ABS, and lean-angle-dependent traction control, still ranks amongst the most potent machines you'll ever encounter on your commute-a real possibility on this machine-or on any of your weekend sorties.
-AB
HONDA VALKYRIE
Last year, Honda released its interpretation of the "bagger," the Gold Wing-based F6B, which proved to be a sign of things to come. For 2014, Big Red follows suit with the brand-new Valkyrie, powered by the same 1,832cc, liquid-cooled, horizontally opposed, sixcylinder engine from the Gold Wing/F6B and stuffed into an all-new aluminum twin-spar frame with single-sided swingarm. The last F6 we had on the Cycle World dyno produced 104 hp and 110 pound-feet of peak torque. But the Valkyrie has a claimed curb weight of 750 pounds, undercutting the Gold Wing by 150 pounds and the F6B by 92. Chassis highlights include 310mm brake discs clamped by fourpiston calipers up front and a huge 316mm disc with a three-piston caliper out back; AB5 is optional. Tires measure 130/60R-19 front and 180/55R-17 rear. The Valkyrie will be available this April in Black, Dark Red Metallic, orthe Blue Metallic pictured here. At press time, pricing was not set, but Honda hopes to keep M5RP around $17,000 forthe non-ABS model.
-BC
