• Ricky Brabec wins his second Dakar Rally
• The last time Brabec took first place in the Dakar was back in 2020
• Monster Energy Honda takes home First, Third and Sixth place

Monster Energy rider Ricky Brabec has snatched the Dakar Rally trophy!

Honda’s recent press release tells us that this is Ricky’s second Dakar Rally win, the first being back in 2020 when the Southern Californian became the first American to win Dakar’s two-wheeled efforts. 

The 2024 Dakar Rally at a glance

For 2023, the fifth Saudi Arabia Dakar took riders from the Northwestern city of Al-`Ula to the shores of the Red Sea, passing through the oceans of dunes in the Empty Quarter to land in Yanbu – a 4,766-mile trek that lasted from January 5-19.

During those days, competitors had to complete timed sections of the Rally (titled “specials”) to determine a winner, with a single rest day given to recover from the tough terrain and rugged environs. 

Overall, the Dakar 2024 landed the following final results board (courtesy of the Dakar’s website): 

Honda’s Monster Energy team efforts

We’re told that this year’s iteration of the Rally saw the Honda Monster Energy team name taking lead the majority of the way, with occasional challenges presented by Spaniard Tosha Schareina (who snatched the prologue at the beginning of the Rally) and Chilean José Ignacio “Nacho” Cornejo, who took the lead for a full day after Stage 4. 

After the 48-hour Chrono stage, Brabec stayed in front and refused to hand over his crown, creating the following stats for Monster Energy Honda: 

• Ricky Brabec: First Place
• Adrien Van Beveren: Third Place
• Jose Cornejo: Sixth Place

What does Ricky have to say about this year’s Rally win?

Naturally, Ricky is extremely happy with the results, though stage 11 purportedly had Brabec a bit worried when Ross started the stage 18 minutes behind. 

Upon completion of the Dakar, Brabec was quoted as being grateful that everyone stayed safe during the grueling event:

*All media provided by Honda*

The post Ricky Brabec is the Winner of the 2024 Dakar Rally! appeared first on webBikeWorld.

• Paul Yaffe is the owner of three “World’s Most Beautiful Motorcycle” awards and the mastermind behind this one-off BMW R 18 Transcontinental
• R 18 Transcontinental aesthetic is modded to “Hot Rod meets Lead Sled”
• Yaffe’s final brainchild debuted at the Motorbike Expo in Verona, Italy

A guy named Paul Yaffe has taken a BMW R 18 Transcontinental and made it look fast, standing still.

According to BMW’s press release, Paul Yaffe’s project of “simplifying” a BMW R 18 Transcontinental into a Hot Rod with Lead Sled inspiration, the custom job began with a 3800-mile ride. 

Wouldn’t do to start building up a bike without getting a feel for the machine’s personality, Yeah? 

That ride must have done what it needed to because here is the final product:

The process of Building a BMW Hot Rod

According to the release, Yaffe created a 26” x 5.5” front wheel out of a 400lb block of aluminum for the rolling duties; the process involved a handmade 180mm front tire. 

Yaffe added the wheels to a stretched chassis, increasing rake angle and engineering special triple trees with a steel front fender to keep the project relevant. 

Restructured bodywork joined a new chin spoiler, while Monkey Bars (ape hangers) were added for the cool factor; the back end, meanwhile, saw Yaffe putting taillights into handmade filler panels, keeping space for the license plate. 

For the “Leda Sled” aesthetic, we’re told that the air suspension and side pipes were done up with a bit of frame that was installed underneath the bike’s saddlebags. 

Very neat.

Bringing it back to BMW

So how does this build keep true to that unforgettable Bavarian flavour? 

Yaffe says there’s still a bit of BMW essence in there, stowed in the side exhaust. Here’s an excerpt from the press release on everything that went into that special pipe component: 

What was the overall vision with this build?

Yaffe didn’t just want a Hot Rod; according to the release, he was keen on “simplicity and allure” – two terms that don’t always go hand in hand. 

The final decision? A glossy black married to a classic ochs blood red interior, which was matched to the front calipers.

When did BMW reveal their R 18 One Eight C?

Paul Yaffe’s build was showcased at the Motor Bike Expo (also called the MBE Show) in Verona, Italy, between January 19th and the 21st.

Do you like the look of Paul Yaffe’s R 18 One Eight C?

*All media provided by BMW*

The post Custom Eye Candy: Paul Yaffe’s “R 18 One Eight C” appeared first on webBikeWorld.

From the Lecco branch of Lake Como comes a special roadster variant.

Say hello to the V7 Stone Ten, a motorcycle that lives up to the reputation of being the “best-selling 750cc-plus bike in Italy” (via CycleWorld).

According to a recent press release, Moto Guzzi has pulled this machine out in homage to the brand’s sizeable fanbase.

What is “The Clan?”

Also called “Guzzisti” (or the “Moto Guzzi Community”), the Clan was formed back in 2014; this is an ultra-dedicated, circa-2014 community of Moto Guzzi fans boasting numbers in excess of 50,000.

We’re told by Moto Guzzi’s website that the community was founded after Moto Guzzi dropped their very first V7 range, which quickly became their best-selling bike.

Today, Moto Guzzi celebrates ten years of their community’s founding year – and in thanks for all the support, Moto Guzzi debuted a refreshed V7 Stone for their beloved fanbase.

A closer look at the V7 Stone Ten

As we already know, Moto Guzzi’s “King of Motorbikes” is powered by the company’s V7 engine, a platform that aligns with a special Arrow pipe, complete with Moto Guzzi-branded silencers.

The end result, if you choose to purchase the pipe separately, is 66.5hp @  6700rpm and 75Nm (55.3lb-ft) of torque @ 4900rpm (the pipe itself is sold separately).

To the power is added bar end mirrors, an ananodised aluminium fuel tank cap and a special livery scheme.

White and black adorns the gas tank, while red shock absorbers, saddle stitching and a red stripe down the center of the tank matches The Clan’s logo on the tank’s side.

A badge reads “Moto Guzzi Owners,” the founding date (2014), and the word TEN, in support of the past decade of Guzzi antics.

When is the real-life reveal of Moto Guzzi’s V7 Stone Ten? 

We’re told by Guzzi’s press release that the V7 Stone Ten will be debuted this weekend, at the Verona Motor Bike Expo.

Expect the V7 Stone Ten to start rolling out of dealerships by April of this year.

How much is Moto Guzzi’s V7 Stone Ten?

We’re told that Moto Guzzi’s priced the V7 Stone Ten at a very reasonable $9,990 USD (MSRP) in the USA, or $12,290 CAD in Canada.

What do you think of Moto Guzzi’s new V7 Stone Ten?

*Media provided by Moto Guzzi*

The post Moto Guzzi: Meet the V7 Stone Ten appeared first on webBikeWorld.

BMW’s finally released the price points of their new touring enduro family: The 2024 F 800 GS, F 900 GS and F 900 GS Adventure. 

Back in September, we covered the debut of three new machines for the Bavarians’ bike banks. This trifecta of touring enduro excellence boasted tons of new features, including the following, brought over from BMW’s press release: 

Give us the price!

Now, we’ve just received the pricing for BMW’s new trio. 

According to BMW’s recent press release, the cost of each bike excludes the MSRP and destination fee, so take that into consideration when musing about whether or not you’ve got room in your garage for a new motorcycle: 

F 800 GS

• $10,495 USD

F 900 GS

• $13,495 USD

F 900 GS Adventure

• $14,195 USD

What are the extra options and accessories again?

As BMW promised, they’ve come through with a slew of add-on options, with the below lists being just the “Optional Equipment and Packages” part of the press release.

Five packages range in price from $1795 USD (the Premium Package for the F 800 GS), to the swanky $2,475 USD Ride Pro Package for the F 900 GS Adventure.

Take a look at all the packages below:

When will BMW officially roll out its new F 800/900 family?

We’re told that the official market launch is estimated to be “early Q2 2024.” In plain speak, the debut day itself could be anywhere between early April and late May – possibly even June, if BMW needs a bit more time to chuck the things out of their facility. 

What do you think of BMW’s new F 800 GS and F 900 GS / Adventure?

*Media provided by BMW Motorrad*

The post BMW Reveals Pricing for 2024 F 800 GS, F 900 GS / Adventure appeared first on webBikeWorld.

• BMW records best annual motorcycle sales in the brand’s history
• EV sector did better than anticipated (+44%)
• BMW’s GS range was super popular, thanks also in part to the arrival of the R 1300 GS
• Europe recorded as the top country for BMW bike sales

BMW’s just released their sales stats, and 2023 has been their best year ever. 

Our good Bavarians have been celebrating some impressive sales results for their brand-spankin’ new BMW R1300 GS – but did you know that the success of that one bike has now carried over to an entire year of record-breaking sales?

BMW’s FY2023 Sales Breakdown

According to BMW’s press release, 209,257 bikes were sold in 2023, with 116,012 of those machines going home to the number one country to buy Bavarian bikes: Europe. 

Here are the sales results broken up in order of percentage and country (the ones BMW gave us, at any rate): 

What was BMW’s most successful range for 2023?

Naturally, our good Bavarians did some extra calculating to check on popularity ratings for their machines – and for 2023, the hype bikes of the year were none other than BMW’s GS range. 

Here are some numbers recorded for BMW’s GS family in 2023:

How were BMW’s FY2023 EV sales? 

Understandably, BMW’s electric motorcycle sales did exceedingly well, thanks to strategic positioning in more urban-centric markets. 

Apparently, the company sold more of their new CE 04’s than expected, racking up a nice +44% of extra sales for 2023 alone. 

Even BMW’s C 400 GT and C 400 X scooters did well, showing off a nice +17.9% uptick in sales with 20,460 units rolling out to happy customers.

A successful year indeed. 

What does BMW’s Head have to say about this year’s sales? 

With continual brand expansion into new markets, Markus Flasch feels fully stable going into 2024:

Bottom line, big congrats to BMW for making the best sales book in the history of the brand!

What do you think of BMW’s 2023 sales successes?

*Media provided by BMW Motorrad and BMW Blog*

The post BMW Motorrad Logs Best Sales Ever appeared first on webBikeWorld.

• 2023 motorcycle sales were down 2.5% from the previous year
• Over 34% of purchased bikes are 125cc or less
• Middleweight to 1000cc bikes show uptick in sales
• Nakeds were the most popular bike category to purchase in 2023

Our industry may have seen piles of riders flocking to buy motorcycles during 2020-2022, but 2023 shows a different set of figures for the UK. 

For those of you who don’t know, the MCIA is a body that represents the UK’s L-Category vehicle industry.

In other words, these sales stats are only for the UK… though we have enough here to ogle in anticipation of America’s own bike sales results, particularly in the EV category.

According to a recent study sourced from Phil West’s coverage on MCN, this past year’s bike sales dipped 2.5% to 113,589 units sold. 

Gas sales vs. electric sales

Of the 113,589 in total sales, we have 109,000 gas machines (107,215 motorcycles if removing scooters and mopeds) and 4062 electric machines. 

This last figure is quite interesting; not only do electric machines sold in 2023 make up a mere 3.6% of total sales, but the number is even less in 2022 – 37.5% less, in fact. 

In plain speak, electric sales in the UK show just how much the masses are actually investing in the electrification strategies of certain brands.

…it’s not a lot, folks.

What does the MCIA’s CEO say about 2023’s UK two-wheeled sales? 

For Campbell, 2023’s results still show huge potential for our industry to take the lead in future recreational/personal transport:

What do you think of 2023’s motorcycle sales?

*Media provided by CNN Philippines, as well as the MCIA*

The post UK: 2023 Shows Dip in Sales… Especially for EVs appeared first on webBikeWorld.

 – Neither did we, but based on the nine other trophies on the brand’s shelf, we’re thinking there’s some truth to the talk. 

According to a recent Ducati press release (published by Roadracing World), this year marks the tenth consecutive annum that Ducati has won an award for “Italian excellence in the field of Human Resources.”

Bottom line, Ducati has held a monopoly on Italy’s “best working conditions” – and for the Top Employers Institute, that includes top marks in the following categories: 

• People Strategy
• Work Environment
• Talent Acquisition
• Learning
• Wellbeing
• Diversity
• Equity & Inclusion

What does Ducati have to say about the award? 

Team Red celebrates two thousand employees and fourteen branches across our good earth – an expansion to bigger pastures calls for, in the Human Resources Director’s terms, “a company policy that places the person at the center of the strategy:”

What do you think of Ducati’s new award?

*Media provided by Ducati (Roadracig World)*

The post Industry Insider: Ducati Snatches “Best Employer” Title Again appeared first on webBikeWorld.

If you are in possession of a 2021-2024 BMW R 18 B or R 18 Transcontinental, you are eligible for a recent recall on a faulty headlight.

Late last year, the NHTSA’s Safety Recall tells us that BMW received 8 customer complaints, 72 warranty claims, and 68 dealer field reports on detached reflectors and vibrating headlamps.

Which of BMW’s motorcycles are eligible for this recall?

BMW has decided to approach the problem with a “better safe than sorry” standpoint, so 100% of the following years of BMW models are under a non-compliant recall:

• 2021, 2022, 2023, 2024 BMW R 18 B

• 2021, 2022, 2023, 2024 BMW R 18 Transcontinental

What is BMW doing about the faulty component?

This is a standard recall, so standard procedure applies.

BMW owners will be recommended to take their motorcycle to an authorized BMW motorcycle dealer to have the remedy performed; the remedy is apparently “still being developed,” but we’re also assuming the fix will be free of charge here.

When will BMW notify owners and dealers about this recall?

As of December 22nd of last year, dealers were notified; if you are an owner, you can expect a notification around or by February 13th.

What can I do about this recall?

Should you find yourself affected by this recall and wish to do your own homework, feel free to contact either BMW’s Customer Service or the  National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) Vehicle Safety Hotline at the following contact points:

Do you know of anybody affected by BMW’s most recent recall?

*All media provided by BMW Motorrad*

The post BMW Recalls All 2021-2024 R 18 B / Transcontinentals Over Faulty Headlights appeared first on webBikeWorld.

• Krämer Motorcycles has made a naked kit concept bike based on the GP2-890R
• Inspiration for this “Hooligan Bike” pulls from Super Hooligans Championship
• Krämer wants this bike in the US
• This will be a ten-piece fleet with potential for more, depending on the demand

After a short wait, Krämer Motorcycles has finally shown us their new child of speed. 

This particular machine is inspired by Mission Foods’ Super Hooligan National Championship machines, and we knew of the bike’s existence when we found evidence of the thing back in December.

Inside Krämer’s naked Hooligan kit concept

Per MCN’s coverage of the bike, we now know that this “Hooligan Bike” takes after its full-fairinged sibling, the 890R (minus the bodywork). 

Naturally, a naked that’s based on a race bike needs equally premium componentry; as such, we are expecting the following elements to stay the same for this kit series: 

• KTM’s 890cc (130hp)  inline two-cylinder engine
• ~308lb weight rating *may change due to general lack of bodywork*
• CNC triple clamps with offset adjustment
• Brembo braking power (Stylema front caliper mated to dual, 290mm, full-floating discs at the front and a single 230mm full-floating rotor working with a two-piston caliper at the back) 
• Brembo RCS Corsa Corta 19 Brake Cylinder
• WP Apex suspension (Pro 7543 closed cartridge fork, Pro 7746 with pre-load adjuster)
• Stainless steel pipe with decibel killer (103 / 105 dBA)
• Aluminum-forged Dymag UP7X rims, among the lightest on the planet
• Quickshifter and Blipper as standard
• Adjustable engine brake and throttle response
• Pit limiter
• 520 DID ERV Racing chain
• AIM MXS 1.2 Race GPS dash logger
• Additionals in the form of “Frame crash pads, fork fist crash pads, brake lever guards, oil bolts wired in, e-starter, racing air filter”

*Note: The above list was pulled from Krämer’s GP2-890R specs sheet*

Will Krämer bring their Hooligan to the United States?

Yes, Krämer is thinking of bringing this naked 890 R kit to the States… or rather, they were musing about it on their Facebook page back on December 15th: 

The idea has been galvanized by the fact that KTM’s Duke 890 R snatched the third-place podium at last year’s Super Hooligan efforts (via Super Hooligan). 

How many of these Hooligan Racer 890rs will Kramer make, and what will they cost?

While all of Kramer’s bikes are deserving of their individual price tags, the Hooligan will remain as exclusive (and likely as pricey) as the rest of the fleet. 

We’re told Kramer will only make ten of these beauties.

Here are some words from the company’s Co-Founder on the brand’s intentions here:

The full-fairing 890R currently goes for about $33,995 USD in the US; based on the maintained exclusivity of this machine, we’re estimating this bike’s tag to read something in that general ballpark. 

What do you think of Krämer’s up-and-coming naked novelty? 

*Media provided by Krämer Motorcycles’ Facebook page*

The post Krämer Shows Off a Naked Hooligan appeared first on webBikeWorld.

• BMW files further patent for incubating electric motorcycle
• Filings show a monocoque frame concept
• Electric motorcycle is anticipated to join current BMW CE 04 and newer CE 02

Our good Bavarians have been working on a new, higher-performance sibling for their two-wheeled electric ranges.

Based on Ben Purvis’s findings on CycleWorld, BMW has not only decided to design a bigger EV bike than their C-evolution machines, but they’ve decided to use the bike’s chassis to encase the thing’s EV battery. 

A closer look at BMW’s monocoque chassis design

The accompanying imagery shows a chassis that provides the core of the bike’s working parts – steering head, swingarm and EV battery included.

The monocoque design is purportedly made of aluminum – not uncommon, Harley-Davidson (LiveWire) and Can Am both did the same – and it will be sitting on top of a motor lying lengthwise underneath. 

That last bit’s new, by the way. 

What to expect for BMW’s new electric motorcycle

We might only know what the bones of this bike look like, but the ganders provides a few additional details about BMW’s new EV machine. 

• Range limitations in electric motorcycles means this will not be any sort of tourer or dirt-happy bike; assume that BMW will debut a more urban-focused machine for the masses. 
• The skeleton itself looks more typical of a middleweight bike, so we are anticipating something around (or possibly of a higher displacement than) Kawasaki’s Z e-1 ABS /, Ninja® e-1 ABS. 

What do you think BMW’s working on for this new electric motorcycle?

*Media provided by BMW (Cyceworld)*

The post Fast Filings: BMW Has a Monocoque Frame Design for Future EVs appeared first on webBikeWorld.