Offroad Motorcycles

After what seems like an eternity, Kawasaki has finally jumped aboard the EV bandwagon and launched its first of many electric motorcycles, the Elektrode. Sadly, though, this isn’t the “dream” Kawasaki electric bike everyone was hoping for, and there’s a high chance neither you nor us will be swinging a leg over this. It is, however, a step in the right direction.

Pitting the fuel-injection fans against the carburetor fans, we score a point for the latter with the DR-Z400S and DR-Z400SM from Suzuki. Fuel injection hasn’t yet made an appearance in Suzuki’s dual-sport lineup, which was a good thing or a bad thing, depending on which side of the fence you’re on. For 2022, the DR-Z siblings haven’t yet been touched by the FI update. Sharing the same engine as the 500EXC from KTM, the DR-Zs come on a different chassis with progressive-link rear suspension. The “SM” — the SuperMoto of the family — and the “S” feature a six-liter air box with quick-release fasteners trouble-free access to the air filter and special low profile mirrors that rotate hoping to avoid damage, both are pluses when you’re playing in the dirt.

Over the past few years, the motorcycle industry has seen all kinds of electric motorcycles from puny dirt bikes to full-fledged 200HP track weapons, and it’s about time someone moved the goal post.

Doing exactly that, US-based EV-maker Robo Systems has unveiled the Ultra bike, an off-road motorcycle that can literally go-anywhere bike, as you’re about to find out.

The Yamaha TW200, brought forward for 2022 with its scrappy little 196 cc engine, is a nice learning bike, fully street legal but with that distinctive motocross-style swale seat that says you’re going off-road. On the move, the bike has nice low-end torque and you’ll feel the front end trying to come up when you get even a little twisty. Dual sport, yes, but so much about this bike just begs to be in the dirt.

QJMotor, which also owns Benelli, for the longest time, has only sold its motorcycles in its home country of China, but the bikemaker is slowly but surely bringing its expansive lineup of bikes to the European market, mainly to ruffle the feathers of its Japanese rivals.

After tackling 400cc and 600cc segments, the firm is now eyeing the mid-capacity ADV segment with its newly type-approved 650cc adventure bike.

It’s not the most attractive bike in the dual sport stable, though it’s small and scrappy with a 644 cc engine and so much fun to ride. With a glance at the DR650S from Suzuki you might just dismiss it as an enduro bike. That would be doing it an injustice. It’s really a basic adventure bike that will get you off the pavement and into the woods with perhaps more gumption than a real adventure bike. Priced affordably, it isn’t tragic to drop it as it would be otherwise and it is lightweight enough that you can pick it up and keep going.

Kawasaki put together its KLX300 model with dual-sport riders in mind and a definite bias for the off-road work. Suspension stroke and ground clearance point to a capacity for fairly rugged terrain, while the mirrors and full all-around lighting make it street legal. Whether you plan on proper adventure riding, or just want to forego the trailer action every time you want to hit your favorite trails, the KLX300 has you covered.

No-one is ever going to accuse KTM of not launching enough bikes! Following on from 13 enduro bikes comes a further 12 MX model line-up, including two- and four-stroke models and changes to chassis and engines across the board

Honda carries its venerable XR650L line into 2022, but to be honest, it’s almost completely unchanged — save for a BNL update — from the original version unleashed on the world back in 1993. Before you scoff, I would point out that sharks haven’t changed in millions of years, having evolved long ago into creatures perfectly suited to their environments, and apparently, so it is with the XR650L. The Red Riders got it right out of the gate with this one, and popular support keeps the bike on Honda’s showroom floors even after nearly a quarter-century.

MY2021 brought with it the return of the KTM 450 SuperMoto to the paddock after a seven-year hiatus, and it looks like just what the doctor ordered if power-drifting, racing, and stunt riding – or any combination thereof – is your thing. It sports the proven 450 engine that comes with a smattering of rider-aid electronics so you can dial in the bike’s personality as you like. Additionally, the frame is adjustable, and the suspension comes off the top shelf to finish off the package.

The Husqvarna 400 Cross owned by Steve McQueen and ridden by him for the cover picture of Sports Illustrated in 1971 is up for auction. The third McQueen-owned bike to be auctioned in recent months, it is being sold without reserve.

Spy shots reveal a brand new variant on the 390 Adventure platform, looking very much like it could be an enduro version of the single-cylinder pocket rocket.

RM Sothebys’ auction in Arizona included a 1971 Honda SL350 once owned by screen legend John Wayne. Despite the provenance, it sold for half the pre-auction estimate.

British-built Honda Cub scrambler proves that big isn’t always better.

Getting bored of reading about electric bikes? Well, it’s not going away any time soon. in fact, its even spreading to off-road bikes now.

Yamaha goes hard core with the Ténéré 700 Raid Prototype. Detail changes to suspension, cooling and a full complement of rally equipment is included. Not for sale to the public at the moment, but will that change?

Swedish giant Husqvarna rolls into MY2021 with boosted performance, new electronics, and a spanky new Euro-5 emissions compliance rating on the 701 Enduro. The factory also gave it a bit of a facelift with a new headlight housing, new instrumentation, and tuned up bodywork that benefits from Husqvarna’s extensive off-road racing experience. New brake hardware and switchable ABS rounds out the safety package.

Kawasaki’s 2022 MX and Enduro bikes offer something for everyone, be they young or old, beginner or experienced

The scrambler market is booming, and so far, Ducati is ahead of the curve with a full range of purpose-built Scrambler models. It added to the lineup in 2016 with its Scrambler Sixty2, a model that reflects what the factory calls modern pop culture, with a liberal dose of sixties, mid-size standard cruiser flavor blended in. Powered with a 399 cc L-twin, the Sixty2 isn’t a poser in a scrambler costume; it’s ready to rock and roll.