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A fusion of raw power and refined luxury, the Brabus is back and bolder than ever before Never say never again. Two years on from building what was supposedly the last of its uber-performing hyper-sports hot-rods concocted in conjunction with KTM, German high-end high-performance automotive aftermarket refinement specialist Brabus has created another in the line of what it terms ‘Ground-Breaking Luxury Hyper Naked Bikes’. That’s the Brabus 1400R Signature Edition, and just 100 examples will be built in 2026 at a price of €49,900 ($A88k) in Germany, including 19 per cent local tax – €41,933 ($A74k) tax free for export. Besides Germany, previous Brabus-built bikes have also been sold in France, Italy, Netherlands, Austria, UK, Poland, Spain and the Czech Republic, as well as farther afield in South Africa, China, Thailand and Australia. The 1400R is also now EPA-approved for sale in the USA, and is expected to be available to the Australian market by mid to late 2026. Brabus has been modifying cars to improbable levels of performance, combined with flamboyant styling to get the result noticed, for the best part of the past half-century. Besides Rolls-Royces and Porsches, they work primarily on Mercedes-Benz vehicles, including from the German giant’s affiliate brands like AMG, Maybach and Smart. This has resulted in a vast range of Brabus-tuned engines ranging from the 80bhp (60kW) three-cylinder 698cc turbocharged unit in the Smart Fortwo two-seater city car with side skirts and front splitter, to the 900bhp (670kW) twin-turbo units for the Brabus-bedecked S-Class Mercedes sedan. Wheels are crafted out of a solid block of billet Brabus’ primary focus is on delivering the ultimate in performance, allied with arresting looks and luxury interiors, via cars which are 100 per cent street legal, latterly with Euro 5+ compliance. Customers ordering a new car from them entails Brabus acquiring the given model directly from Mercedes, then modifying it according to the purchaser’s requests. Customers can also send in cars they already own to be customised and/or tuned up. The first Brabus motorcycle was presented in February 2022 as a spinoff from that ethos, using the KTM 1290 Super Duke R platform as its base. That first special-edition model was limited to just 77 examples, denoting 1977 as the year that company owner Bodo Buschmann established Brabus, and sold out online in under two minutes – for some, perhaps, as a feel-good post-Covid purchase. This prompted Brabus to build a second batch of such bikes… which also sold out, this time in less than five minutes. Alan Cathcart on an earlier version. The 1400R rolls off the production lines in a couple of months time In February 2023, Brabus created a second new model, the Edition 23, comprising two different colourway collections made up of 145 motorcycles times two, each costing €42,500 ($A75k) including tax. Powered by a tuned version of the KTM LC8 V-twin engine found in the 1290 Super Duke R and rated at 132kW/180bhp at 9500rpm, with peak torque of 140Nm at 8000rpm, these 290 examples also sold out immediately, and were all delivered by July 2023. Whether it’s cars or motorcycles, everything is handbuilt at Brabus HQ For 2024, Brabus came up with its 1300R Masterpiece Edition, essentially an updating of the 1300R Edition 23, with subtly different styling and a choice of two colour variants: black and white. This was announced as the final Brabus motorcycle model to be made available, and with just 50 examples built all told, retailing at €49,900 ($A88k) including tax, and billed as the final chapter in its motorcycle line-up. This was the most limited production variant hitherto in Brabus’s two-wheeled catalogue. Indeed the company stuck to its word, and no 2025 Brabus bike was forthcoming, leaving the 494 examples built so far as standalone collector’s items. Is there another motorcycle around that looks quite like this? But now Brabus says it’s responding to pressure from customers to produce another ultra-extreme two-wheeled model, and has just announced the 100-off 1400R Signature Edition bike, the most powerful evolution so far of this no-prisoners performance product range. Based on the KTM 1390 Super Duke R EVO, this carries the Austrian manufacturer’s ultimate version of its 1350cc LC8 V-twin engine, which is tuned by them before delivery to Brabus to produce more power than ever. With 190bhp (140kW) and 145Nm of torque, both unchanged from the Super Duke R, the lighter sub-200kg Brabus 1400R features a near 1:1 power-to-weight ratio. It takes super naked streetfighting to another level – while also looking super distinctive, as defined by all-new signature styling, which Brabus terms ‘a statement of raw strength and modern elegance’. The dark art of carbon fibre on full show The supremely sinister all-black styling that Brabus labels as its signature ‘Black and Bold’ look sees the stock KTM orange tubular steel frame stripped and repainted, then fitted with an array of Brabus carbon-fibre bodywork components to deliver an ultra-distinctive appearance via the factory-installed so-called Widestar body kit. This includes a bespoke handcrafted seat, carbon side spoilers, fuel tank fairing, belly pan, front fender, rear wheel cover, single-sided swingarm cover and chainguard, and Brabus-developed LED headlight unit, with a daytime running light configuration inspired by the Brabus Signature Stripes. A pre-production test mule gets a final shakedown run The precision-engineered carbon fibre components are made using cutting-edge prepreg processes, says Brabus. Twin high-rise silencers flank the underside of the single seat – no room for a passenger on this single-minded sportbike. Aerodynamic side winglets positioned behind the leather backrest shape the bike’s aerodynamic design at the rear, while 17-inch three-spoke Brabus Monoblock EVO wheels – each CNC-machined from a single aluminium forging – contribute to an estimated 4kg of weight saving for the Brabus 1400R compared to the stock KTM it’s derived from. Tobias Grindel at home in the Brabus nursery Those wheels carry Brembo’s latest high-end four-piston Hypure monoblock brake calipers – 10 per cent lighter than the Stylemas on the KTM donor bike – which grip twin 320mm Wave front brake discs, while the twin-piston floating rear caliper is paired with a 240mm Wave disc. KTM-owned WP’s fully-adjustable APEX Semi-Active Technology/SAT suspension is employed, featuring electronically controlled magnetic valves to adjust damping in real time. This offers broad variability from maximum comfort to track-ready stiffness, and is able to automatically adapt to the rider’s input or the road surface encountered. Brabus claims it’s set to fulfil its pledge to bring intelligence to the tarmac. Just how a super-naked should look… lean, clean and brooding The 1400R features five dedicated ride modes – Street, Sport, Rain and two Custom modes, accessed via illuminated handlebar switches and the seven-inch full-colour TFT touchscreen. Each example of the model is delivered complete with a dedicated selection of stash, including a tailor-made indoor dust cover to keep the motorcycle protected in style, as well as a high-grade Brabus exhibition carpet! Plus a leather ignition key cover and a carbon fibre key box containing one of 100 CNC-machined tabletop emblems for display. Little touches of Brabus class abound everywhere you look “The Brabus 1400R is a completely new development with some exciting features like the new headlight unit that was completely developed here at Brabus, the raised exhaust system and the distinctive three-spoke wheel design,” says Brabus’ Business Development Manager and in-house motorcycle guy Tobias Grindel. “Everything now comes in glossy carbon fibre, and the wide-body styling gives the bike a truly bold and powerful look. “We create modern, individual luxury by developing products with a wow factor that puts our customers in the spotlight. “Our collaboration with KTM has been so successful because Brabus and KTM have a similar kind of mentality – we are totally passionate when it comes to developing new stuff to the ultimate level of performance and customer satisfaction. I think the bikes we’re building together are really cool, and very much have their own place in the market. “As proven by the sell-out status of our previous models, the demand is definitely there for them, and we know from customers that they see us as the manufacturer of the bike. So, in the same way that if someone sees one of our cars they say, ‘That’s a Brabus – not a Mercedes S36; it’s a Brabus’… one of our bike customers says, ‘This isn’t a KTM 1290 Super Duke R EVO – it’s a Brabus!’” THE COMPETITION KTM 1290 Super Duke R Ultimate / EVO Limited Edition – $45-$50k 1301cc LC8 V-twin, ~180–190hp, semi-active WP suspension, hyper-naked streetfighter. Ducati Streetfighter V4 SP / SP2 – $60-$70k 1103cc Desmosedici V4, ~208hp, single-seat option, carbon components, electronics-rich hyper-naked. MV Agusta Brutale 1000 Serie Oro – $85-$95k 998cc inline-four, ~208hp, ultra-light carbon bodywork, extreme hyper-naked. 2023 Brabus: same only different As streetfighters go, the brooding, all-black Brabus 1300R Edition 23 is as mean as they come, more sinister than the KTM 1290 Super Duke R Evo lurking beneath all that carbon fibre. Climb onto the tall, plush 835mm seat and you get a definite sense of superiority. The wide tapered handlebar and beautifully mapped throttle let you carve through tight turns and traffic with ease. You feel in control – an effortless urban hotrod ready to outpace anything. Fire it up and the deep-throated rumble from the twin Brabus pipes gets the juices flowing. The tiltable TFT’s blood-red screen puts you in command of four riding modes from Rain to Track, plus six damping maps for the electronically adjustable WP Apex suspension and 10 steps of rear preload. Advanced lets you fine-tune damping; Auto adapts on the fly. Owners will have a ball experimenting. The 1300R truly delivers on its menace, that fabulous engine both thrilling and accessible thanks to benchmark electronics. From 4000rpm it pulls cleanly with massive torque — 140Nm at 8000rpm — and an extra kick on the way to the 10,000rpm limiter. Third gear often does the job. Peak power? Almost irrelevant. Torque rules. It handles, too: WP suspension smooths rough patches in Comfort and tightens in Sport for serious grip from the Bridgestone S22s, especially when braking deep with Brembo Stylemas. Yes, it’s a dressed-up Super Duke R Evo for twice the price. But if you want uber-rad styling, rarity and presence, the fact that the entire run of 290 sold out in minutes says it all. SPECIFICATIONS ENGINE Type 75° V-twin, liquid-cooled, DOHC Capacity 1350cc Power 142kW (190hp) Torque 145Nm Fuel system EFI with ride-by-wire Transmission 6-speed Final drive Chain (525 X-Ring) Exhaust Under-seat dual-pipe stainless system CHASSIS Frame Chromium-molybdenum steel trellis Subframe: Cast aluminium with carbon elements Front suspension WP APEX 48mm semi-active USD fork, 125mm travel Rear suspension WP APEX semi-active monoshock, 140mm travel Front brake Dual 320mm discs, 4-piston calipers Rear brake 240mm disc, 2-piston caliper ABS Cornering ABS + Supermoto mode DIMENSIONS Dry weight 200kg Seat height 834mm Wheelbase 1491mm Fuel capacity 17.5L WHEELS & TYRES Wheels Forged alloy, 17-inch Front tyre 120/70-17 Rear tyre 200/55-17 PERFORMANCE 0-100km/h 3.2sec Top speed 270km/h BUSINESS END Price: TBC (100 units worldwide) Contact: ktm.com/en-au The post EXCLUSIVE PREVIEW | 2026 Brabus 1400R Signature Edition appeared first on Australian Motorcycle News.

Moto Morini’s revamped X-Cape 700 proves you don’t need to spend big to ride hard Just over six years ago, Italy’s historic Moto Morini marque narrowly avoided ending up on the scrapheap of motorcycling’s history. Chen Huaneng – owner of Chinese scooter and minimoto manufacturer Zhongneng Vehicle Group/ZVG – rode to the rescue, acquiring 100 per cent equity from its previous Italian owner. Since then, ZVG’s route map to Morini’s recovery has proceeded at pace, initially with five models powered by the well-proven 649cc DOHC eight-valve parallel-twin engine sourced from its rival CFMoto. With 15,400 examples of its entry-level X-Cape 650 ADV model alone sold around the world in the past three years, Moto Morini’s ride down the comeback trail under Chinese ownership is becoming ever more assured. The X-Cape’s distinctive styling by freelance designer Angel Lussiana gave it immediate personality, which helped it stand out from the plethora of other middleweights entering this market, backed up by its versatile appeal as an accessible, well-equipped and capable model at an affordable price. Now Moto Morini is building on the X-Cape’s success with a diverse range of new models set to come on stream over the next 18 months, along with plans to expand market reach – including into Australia. Next up, according to the company’s CEO Alberto Monni, will be its 1200cc X-Cape ADV Big Twin model housing a Euro 5 Plus-compliant version of the company’s trademark 87° V-twin Corsa Corta engine. That will be followed by the Corsaro GT, the first of three models powered by Morini’s all-new Italian-designed 750cc 90° V-twin, and two bikes using a smaller 350cc 72° V-twin. In addition, the Alltrhike 450cc parallel-twin ADV – again using a CFMoto engine – will provide well-priced competition to BMW’s new F 450 GS made in India by TVS. All of these bikes debuted at last November’s EICMA Milan Show, and each was conceived and developed in Moto Morini’s plant at Trivolzio, 30km southwest of Milan, to be then manufactured in China. But first up, ahead of these and available in European dealer showrooms right now, is the heavily revamped 2025 Moto Morini X-Cape 700. This and the 1200cc X-Cape ADV Big Twin are expected to be the first models offered when the brand is available Down Under, possibly as soon as next year. The X-Cape 700 uses the same considerably improved 83 x 63mm longstroke 693cc version of CFMoto’s well-established liquid-cooled DOHC 8-valve parallel-twin engine with 180° (so, one up/one-down) crankshaft, offset chain camshaft drive, and a single gear-driven counterbalancer, which entered the marketplace a year ago in Moto Morini’s Calibro Bagger custom model. Developed by CFMoto for its own use as well as Morini’s, this is a mere 44cc larger in capacity thanks to a 3mm longer stroke – but on the X-Cape 700, a combination of the small six per cent increase in displacement plus lighter pistons and a new, freer-flowing, lighter exhaust with upswept rear outlet (to give extra clearance in rocky conditions versus the 650’s low-slung silencer) helps deliver an 18 per cent increase in power, and 20 per cent more torque. Revised engine meets tough Euro 5 Plus emissions standards So there’s a whopping 10hp more on tap than its predecessor, with 51.5kW (69hp) produced at 8500rpm, and an equal dose of enhanced grunt, with 68Nm available at 6500rpm, up from 56Nm at 7000rpm – so, much more torque starting lower down than its predecessor. This is quite an achievement, especially considering the more restrictive Euro 5 Plus emissions standards. The six-speed transmission now has the slipper clutch it previously lacked – but owing to the cable throttle there’s no quickshifter. However, top speed has been raised from 170km/h to 185km/h. Paddy fields in Italy? You betcha! And Sir Al rode them! This number-crunching essentially tells you what Moto Morini engineers have done here, which is to significantly uprate the X-Cape from the cheap-‘n’-cheerful entry-level model it was previously pitched as, to a more refined, better-equipped middleweight contender with genuine offroad capability – at the same price as before. The X-Cape 700 now represents a real alternative to the sector-leading Yamaha Tenere 700 – but at a much lower price. So, whereas the Japanese model costs €10,999 in Italy (it’s priced at $A21,399 rideaway in Oz), the Morini starts at €7190 (around $A13k) for the Black Ebony version (which is essentially a streetfighter, with cast aluminium wheels shod with 19in front/17in rear street tyres, no centrestand and no remote rear preload adjuster). Fork out €7590 and you get the wire-wheeled dual-purpose X-Cape 700 – a direct competitor to the Tenere 700, and the even costlier Aprilia Tuareg 660 and Suzuki V-Strom 800DE. Front brakes are top quality considering the sticker price This is available in a choice of three colours – Red Passion, Carrara White or Black Ebony. It comes with the same-size wire wheels with alloy rims as the Streetfighter variant – there’s no 21in front wheel option – with Pirelli Scorpion Rally STR tyres. It has both a centrestand and a remote adjuster for the Kayaba/KYB cantilever rear monoshock that’s adjustable for spring preload and rebound damping, with 165mm of wheel travel. That’s a massive price difference. So, what else can be missing besides the RBW throttle? Sir Al found the riding position offered all-day comfort. Note the position of the indicators Well, the answer is… nothing, really, for Morini’s 700 adventure model is extremely well equipped, with subtly restyled and more protective bodywork designed by the Trivolzio factory’s in-house design team, which still retains the distinctive X-Cape signature appearance. A new spring-loaded mechanism makes the windscreen now properly adjustable on the go with just one hand – previously it was a pretty convoluted operation that you could really only do safely while stationary. The screen is also now 25mm taller and the same amount wider at the top, and can be raised 50mm higher than before for improved wind protection. CEO Alberto Monni has big plans, including a possible entry into the Australian market as soon as next year The twin headlamps are now LED, there are handguards and engine heat guards, and the 7in colour TFT screen (whose revamped graphics sadly still don’t show the ambient temp reading) offers integrated navigation via the Moto Morini app, along with Bluetooth/Wi-Fi connectivity for music, phone and on-screen navigation. On the ADV version of the bike, there’s also a dashcam that records what it sees directly to your cellphone via that app while numerous minor touches include a tyre pressure sensor, new dual USB-C sockets to add to the two USB ones already there, giving the rider four ports altogether for phone recharging etc. Oil changes are now easier with a new, more accessible oil filter design. BUILT TO TAKE A BEATING The X-Cape 700’s robust-looking tubular steel frame, which employs the engine as a fully-stressed member, is unchanged from the 650 version, delivering a rangy 1490mm wheelbase thanks to the fully-adjustable – yes, at that price – 50mm Marzocchi fork set at a 25.5° rake, with a hefty 123mm of trail. At the rear there’s now 165mm of compliant wheel travel, a hefty 30mm more than before, controlled via the 20mm longer aluminium swingarm working a direct-action cantilever Kayaba monoshock that’s adjustable for spring preload and rebound damping. Quality Pirelli adventure tyres come as standard Less impressive on paper, however, is the X-Cape 700’s unchanged weight, scaling 213kg dry split 48/52 per cent rearwards, resulting in a 232kg kerb weight with a 90 per cent full 18-litre fuel tank, which should deliver a 320km-plus range. Although this is identical to the smaller-capacity older bike, it still remains pretty porky versus the sector-leading Yamaha Tenere 700’s 205kg kerb weight, or the Aprilia Tuareg 660 at 204kg fully fuelled, and just 187kg dry. To stop this, the X-Cape’s brake package features switchable Bosch 9.1Mb ABS and a trio of Brembo twin-piston calipers with steel-braided hoses gripping twin 298mm front discs and a fat 255mm rear. A Bosch ECU also powers the fuel injection system which has Off-Road and Street maps to sort-of make up for the lack of electronic riding modes. As before, the ABS system can be switched off completely in the Off-Road map. Styling touches like this show the effort put into what is a very affordable but classy model Seat height is either 845mm, as on the bike I spent a warm early summer day riding through the twists and turns and offroad gravel sections of the Ticino River valley south of Milan, or an optional 820mm one that’s part of the list of accessories. This presently includes a rally exhaust, heated grips, high and low engine guard bars, a rally seat, an aluminium sump guard, plus hard and soft luggage. IN THE SADDLE Where the X-Cape 700 immediately stood out when I climbed aboard via the left footrest was how even with the taller of the two seat options you feel yourself nestling into the bike in a way that can’t help but make you feel at one with it. Like its 650 predecessor, the X-Cape 700’s riding position is super-comfortable, with the dished but quite well-padded seat slotting you into the bike rather than being on top of it, plus there’s adequate if not exactly spacious room for a passenger. But the taper-section handlebar mounted on 60mm risers is well shaped, with just enough pull-back to deliver a comfortable, straight-backed, untiring stance, in which all the controls just fall to hand in best cliche mode. You sit ‘in’ the bike, not ‘on’ it, getting plenty of wind protection The 845mm seat height may appear to be a little tall for shorter riders, thanks to the narrow, waisted stepover behind the fuel tank, but it was the perfect height for my 1.78m stature in terms of putting both feet on the ground at a stop. It will be super accommodating and very welcoming for novice off-roaders, including women, who will appreciate its accessibility. This is a bike you can’t help but feel in control of, thanks to what seems a very well-balanced layout, with little sign it’s as heavy as it is when I rode it on gravel tracks or offroad through local risotto paddy fields. It’s a genuine go-anywhere motorcycle which, thanks to its carefully designed seat and flanks, is really easy to ride standing up on the ‘pegs. It’s slim and narrow just where it matters, making this in many ways a bike that thinks it’s a single-cylinder in terms of its agile handling, while delivering the accessible drive and bottom end punch of a twin. Rider aids are non-existent, so switchgear is basic The parallel-twin engine is torquey, free-revving and smooth. The single gear-driven counterbalancer and hefty balance weights in the ends of the handlebar ensure there’s zero vibration at any revs, right up to the hard-action 10,500rpm rev-limiter, and especially no tingles in the footrest or seat as you sometimes get at a constant cruising speed from comparable single-cylinder models, and even some of the X-Cape’s twin-cylinder rivals. This makes the Morini both pleasant and practical in high-speed use on the open road, as well as ultimately untiring to ride, with a pleasing and distinctive syncopated lilt emanating from that revised Euro 5 Plus-compliant 2-1 exhaust. Exhaust emits a distinctive parallel twin note There’s a completely linear build of power all the way to that 10,500rpm revlimiter, and you definitely notice the extra torque now available and especially the wider spread of grunt all through the powerband. This not only allows you to cut down on gear-changing, but also use a gear higher than the 650 would have dictated in order to maintain momentum through successive twists and turns, helping fuel consumption. However, there’s still only a conventional cable throttle, which means that without RBW there’s not only no choice of riding modes, but also zero traction control. You just have the option of switching off the Bosch ABS at both ends for use offroad, in which case an ‘Off-Road’ icon appears on the dash, as if you’d selected a different dirt-friendly riding mode. Except you didn’t! SHIFTING THE GAME The six-speed transmission with chain final drive features a Japanese-developed FCC oil-bath clutch, making the X-Cape a model of rideability thanks to its flawless gearshift and light clutch action. Your left hand won’t ever cramp up riding this bike in traffic, so expect it to be a courier favourite, especially at that price and with a good view ahead over traffic. This makes balancing the X-Cape at low speeds easy for riders of all levels of experience, with walking pace, feet-up U-turns dead easy with a very tight steering lock. Also novice-friendly – but also sure to be appreciated by more experienced riders – is the X-Cape’s responsive but well-mapped fuelling. There’s no trace of an abrupt pickup from a closed throttle; just a smooth, liquid response that adds to the sense of controllability. With torque peaking at 6500rpm, so little more than halfway to the redline, and spread so widely through the powerband that there’s no point in revving it anywhere near that 10,500rpm limiter, on the open road I shifted up at 7500rpm and found myself back in the fat part of the torque curve every time. The way the X-Cape 700 pulls so strongly from just off idle and accepts full gas wide open in sixth gear from just 2000rpm with zero transmission snatch, is proof of that. A 19in front wheel is offered on both X-Cape 700s, rather than a 21in for the wire-wheeled version On-road the X-Cape’s handling was also confidence inspiring, partly because of its balanced feel, and partly due to the excellent grip from those dual-purpose Pirelli tyres. The steering is precise albeit relatively slow, thanks also to that large amount of trail, which does however pay off in stability in turns. Riding it on the dirt, where using however much of that 165mm of wheel travel I ended up needing, all felt so well controlled. Using the twin Brembo discs up front hard for a panic stop didn’t cause the front end to collapse – sure, the nose did dive a little, but only controllably. And it did indeed stop pretty well despite the extra kilos. There was unexpectedly good feedback from that meaty Marzocchi fork, and whoever arrived at the settings knew what they were doing, with the cantilever rear shock more compliant than you might have expected. Ride quality was also pretty good at both ends, too. Old and new: the 700 X-Cape on the right is a lot more bike for the same money as the original 650 Morini’s test rider Gabriele Manzi (my companion for the day aboard an alloy-wheeled streetfighter) and his colleagues deserve a pat on the back for a job well done thanks to the unexpected sense of all-round refinement you get from this €7k motorcycle. You can tell it was developed by people who actually ride bikes day in, day out, and wouldn’t rest until they’d achieved their goals. Take the rear brake, for example, which is perfectly set up for offroad use, with just enough bite, delivered progressively as you work the pedal, with heaps of feel and a sense of control. It didn’t just get like that – someone had to work on the pad choice, the leverage ratio, the choice of disc material and master cylinder etc… then test it repeatedly till they hit the right setting. Fuel tank holds 18 litres, which should get a rider over 300km Little things mean a lot. And, judging by the way the X-Cape 700 has turned out, Moto Morini’s Chinese owner appears to have hit on the ideal formula for producing appealing but also cost-effective Sino-European fusion models. PRICED TO TEMPT Competition has never been so fierce in the mid-size adventure bike market, with would-be buyers of all skill levels now spoilt for choice. With pretty high build quality and a strong identity delivered by its styling, the Moto Morini X-Cape 700 is as capable and pleasing – as well as practical – a ride as any motorcycle costing twice the price, with half the looks. Providing a fully adjustable front end from as respected a brand as Marzocchi on a truly versatile bike is pretty incredible value for money at this price, especially with Brembo brakes, Bosch ABS and Pirelli tyres included. The X-Cape 700 is a genuine contender in a crowded middleweight adventure market. Moto Morini had a strong presence in the Australian market in the 1970s-80s. Can history repeat? Competition Yamaha Tenere 700 from $21,399 KTM 390 Adventure R from $11,295 Suzuki V-Strom 800DE from $16,990 SPECIFICATIONS ENGINE Capacity 693cc Type Liquid-cooled DOHC 8-valve parallel-twin four-stroke with 180° crankshaft, offset chain camshaft drive and single gear-driven counterbalancer Bore & stroke 83mm x 63mm Compression ratio 11.6:1 Fuelling EFI with twin 38mm throttle bodies, single injector per cylinder Transmission 6-speed gearbox with gear primary drive Clutch Wet, multiplate PERFORMANCE Power 51.5kW (69hp) @ 8500rpm (measured at crankshaft) Torque 68Nm @ 6500rpm Top speed 185km/h ELECTRONICS Type Bosch Rider aids ABS CHASSIS Type Tubular steel diamond with engine a fully-stressed member Rake 25.5° Trail 123 mm Wheelbase 1490mm SUSPENSION Front Fully-adjustable 50mm Marzocchi fork, 175mm travel Rear Kayaba cantilever monoshock adjustable for spring preload & rebound damping, 165mm travel WHEELS & BRAKES Front 110/80-19 Pirelli Scorpion Rally STR on 3.50in cast aluminium or wire-laced alloy rim Rear 150/70-17 Pirelli Scorpion Rally STR on 4.50in cast aluminium or wire-laced alloy rim Brakes Front: 2 x 298mm steel discs with twin-piston Brembo calipers and switchable Bosch 9.1Mb ABS Rear: 255mm steel disc with twin-piston Brembo caliper and switchable ABS DIMENSIONS Weight 232kg kerb weight with 90 per cent fuel load Seat height 845mm as tested (optional 820mm available) Fuel capacity 18L BUSINESS END Price From €7190 Contact: motomorini.com The post TEST RIDE | 2025 Moto Morini X-Cape 700 appeared first on Australian Motorcycle News.

Once the bike that mobilised postwar Britain, the BSA Bantam is back with class-leading performance and a price point that could shake up the 350cc market In a largely unheralded move, BSA – now owned by Indian giant Mahindra Group’s Classic Legends subsidiary – has relaunched one of the most famous models in the two-wheeled history books, of which half-a-million examples were built in the historic British brand’s golden years. However, the new BSA Bantam isn’t a smoky 125cc two-stroke single like before, but a DOHC 350cc four-stroke with class-topping specs. I spent a day riding the 2025 Bantam 350 around the Warwickshire country roads that were once the proving ground for factory testers from the huge BSA Small Heath factory in southern Birmingham. But first, a history lesson, and the topic for today is: BSA 101. BEGINNING WITH A BANG When Britain’s largest gun manufacturer Birmingham Small Arms, founded in 1861, decided to start building bicycles in 1903, it was inevitable that its first motorcycles would eventually be delivered to customers in 1911. Successive World Wars led both its core businesses to boom, with 126,334 BSA M20 sidevalve singles delivered to the British Army in WW2, alongside the half-a-million Browning .303 machine guns equipping the RAF’s Spitfires and Hurricanes that won the Battle of Britain. But peacetime was good for profits, too, as the global appetite for personal transport in the postwar era saw BSA grow to become the world’s largest motorcycle manufacturer. By 1956, one in every four motorcycles sold worldwide carried the BSA badge, and its subsidiaries Triumph and Ariel also reaped plentiful global sales, too. Underwriting that growth was the best-selling British motorcycle of all time, a humble yet functional two-stroke single whose very appeal derived from its unashamed simplicity. The BSA Bantam that launched in 1948 in stripped-out 123cc form was progressively enlarged, first to 148cc in 1954, then to 173cc in 1958, before production ended in 1971 when BSA went bust. By then it’s believed over 500,000 examples had been built in the 23-year run of the bike that got Britain mobile again in the dark days of postwar recovery – although nobody’s really sure, as most records were lost. But in providing basic transportation to a grateful nation, or as the first step up the motorcycle ladder as the passport to freedom for a generation of bikers, or in giving practical service as a dependable workhorse for anyone from factory workers to GPO telegram messengers, the Bantam foresaw the low-cost functional appeal of the bike that replaced it: Honda’s C50 Super Cub. Old and new… Pommie Postie bike poses with the 2025 reincarnation of the famous model name. BSA was so switched on to the world market with the original that it even made the Bushman model for Aussie sheep graziers How ironic then that this most British of motorcycles was in fact designed in Germany by DKW in 1938, and only came to Britain and thence to BSA almost by accident, as part of German post-WW2 reparations to help repay some of Britain’s gigantic war debt incurred in defeating Hitler. Motorcycles based on the RT125 also went into production in other countries as a postwar peace dividend. The DKW factory in Zschopau, later aka MZ, ended up in the Russian zone of occupied Germany, so in 1946 the Soviet Union launched the Minsk M1A directly derived from the RT125. In the US, from 1948 to 1966, Harley-Davidson built its own copy of the bike, the S-125, later known as the Hummer after Dean Hummer, the Harley dealer in Omaha, Nebraska, who led national Harley two-stroke sales, while in 1955 Yamaha launched the YA-1, its first production motorcycle and a direct copy of the DKW model. But the BSA Bantam was the bestseller by far. REVIVAL AND RIVALS Bedevilled by incompetent management and the arrival of low-priced small cars like the Fiat 500 and Austin Mini, BSA finally went under in 1973. For the next 40 years it was the most illustrious of Britain’s gone-but-not-forgotten bike brands, until 2016 when its trademark was acquired for $A7 million by India’s Mahindra Group, a huge multinational conglomerate covering everything from the arms industry to tractors. Engine has old school air fins but is actually liquid-cooled In 2022 it launched the born-again BSA Gold Star built in India, but with retro styling conceived in Britain, powered by a 650cc Rotax engine completely re-engineered by the 200-plus engineers in Mahindra’s R&D Centre in Pune. Now, as BSA readies itself for relaunch next year in the US, South America and Australia (it’s already in NZ), alongside the handful of European countries the Gold Star is already available in besides the UK, the debut of the BSA Bantam 350 dramatically expands its range in a dealer-pleasing way – and at a killer price, too, with a choice of five different colour options: grey, red, yellow, blue or black. Basic fork works in a fairly basic fashion As what’s certain to be only the first of several different variants on the same platform, in retailing at £3499 ($A7302) in the UK plus £215 OTR (on the road) charges and including a three-year unlimited mileage warranty, the new model undercuts its direct Royal Enfield Bullet competitor by a massive £1130. Yet there’s no hint of it being built down to a price when you see the new BSA Bantam in the metal. Its four-valve Alpha 2 engine is taken from Classic Legends’ existing Jawa and Yezdi models sold at present only in India (plus the Czech Rep. for Jawa models via the lease of that name), and is a considerable step up in terms of design and performance versus the opposition. So the BSA’s Euro 5+ compliant oversquare 334cc single-cylinder engine, measuring 81mm x 65mm and with the company’s crossed rifles emblem flanking the camdrive, is a quite different proposition to its direct rivals. It’s a short-stroke design aimed at greater power. Instrument panel is hard to view in direct sunlight The Bantam produces a claimed 21.6kW (29hp) at 7750rpm at the crank (versus 15kW/20.2hp) at 6100rpm for the Royal Enfield models), with peak torque of 29.62Nm at 6000rpm (versus 27Nm at 4000rpm for the supposedly gruntier longstroke Enfields). This is transmitted via a six-speed gearbox with slip-assist clutch on the BSA, whereas its RE rivals have just five ratios. LED headlight is a winner This number-crunching matters, because the 250-450cc marketplace is presently the world’s largest and most competitive model segment, and in smashing the million-bike barrier for the first time with 1,009,900 motorcycles in the 2024/25 model year, Royal Enfield produced 818,059 examples of its five 350cc single-cylinder models. Okay, around 88 per cent of its production is sold in the Indian home market, but for BSA to develop the rival Bantam 350 and offer such a significant improvement in performance and spec at significantly less money than RE’s market-leading model is really significant. Moreover, Classic Legends has revealed that it will not be selling the Bantam in India, on the grounds that it wants to keep the BSA name as an exclusive, premium brand there, and launching a smaller-displacement model under that badge might dilute its status for Indian customers. BORN-AGAIN BANTAM The Bantam has been restyled in a slightly more neo-classic way, while retaining the same by now well-proven duplex cradle tubular steel chassis. While not in any way resembling the Bantam of old – although offering a green and cream colour option might have been smart, to satisfy older customers – BSA has given the Bantam 350 clean but rather understated looks, with a handful of British cafe racer design cues. These include the teardrop-shaped 13-litre fuel tank, flat bench seat, round headlamp, gaitered fork, less obtrusive radiator than on the Gold Star, and finning on the liquid-cooled cylinder, all recalling the 1950s Bantam. The right-way-up 41mm Gabriel fork delivers 135mm of wheel travel and is set at a rangy 29° rake, contributing to a 1440mm wheelbase that’s a fair bit longer than the RE Bullet’s 1390mm, with twin Gabriel rear shocks giving 100mm of travel that are five-way adjustable for spring preload. Just a little reminder of how heritage this brand is There’s a single Bybre disc brake at each end from Brembo’s Indian subsidiary, with a 320mm front rotor and 240mm rear, each with a floating twin-piston caliper and fitted with dual-channel Continental ABS. With a claimed 185kg kerb weight including a 90 per cent full 13-litre fuel tank, the Bantam scales exactly 10kg less than the RE Bullet with same size tank, so there’s surprisingly no penalty for carrying an extra camshaft, another gear ratio, a radiator and a cooling system full of water versus its main air-cooled, five-speed, SOHC rival. In 1996 the BSA name was owned by the BSA Regal Group, which commissioned British design studio Seymour-Powell and Tigcraft chassis constructor Dave Pearce to build a prototype of a possible new-age Bantam Climbing easily aboard the born-again Bantam reveals this is a slim single but with a sense of substance, which – thanks to the narrow stepover where seat meets tank – will allow most riders to put feet to the floor at rest. It’s a compact motorcycle which doesn’t look or feel small, though. Thanks to the 1440mm wheelbase, the reasonably well-padded 800mm-high seat is quite spacious with good room for a passenger, and the fairly wide handlebar is set pretty flat, so its stance has you leaning forward very slightly to grasp the grips. There are a choice of five colours but even the darkest aren’t just a monotone Fit and finish appear to be good; the pale silver external springs on both shocks, sports-type exhaust with the alloy-wrap silencer, short fenders and blacked-out engine give it neo-custom roadster appeal. It looks sharp, although the bland, round mirrors let it down a bit. I did like the metal pad mounted behind the right footrest to stop you treading on the exhaust silencer wrap with your heel. Very thoughtful! Left handlebar switchblock promises a lot more than it delivers in functionality The single round LCD instrument offset slightly to the right shows speed, revs, mileage/twin trips, time, fuel and gear selected, but is mounted at such an angle that it’s hard to read in daylight thanks to reflections on its opaque glass cover. However the neutral light is satisfyingly bright and can be seen at any time. The switchgear is decent quality, and there’s LED lighting front and rear, the latter via a neat custom-style taillight. Simplicity is what you’d expect on a budget-priced model There are no electronic riding aids other than Continental ABS, which kicks in readily but not over-enthusiastically when needed. But there’s also no USB connectivity, which seems rather strange – BSA’s new Scrambler 650 has a USB-C socket, and that being a more costly bike, this is the most obvious example of the Bantam being built down to that low, low price. Conversely, there’s a four-button switchblock on the left handlebar which you might imagine was there to navigate a digital menu, but instead on the Bantam merely switches between the odometer and the two trip readings, and to change the clock display between 12-hour and 24-hour settings. So I think they could have found the budget for a USB socket, don’t you? Same thing for the missing bungee points on the bike if you want to strap something to the passenger seat behind you. A CLEAR CUT ABOVE Thumb the button and the Bantam chimes eagerly into life, settling at a 1200rpm idle with minimal vibration – the gear-driven counterbalancer does its stuff, and the oversquare engine only starts tingling as you near 7750rpm power peak. It also sounds great. The exhaust has a mellow, deep note at idle that translates into a distinctly rorty sound at speed, without being obnoxiously loud. The engine delivers plenty of punch – you can’t help but enjoy riding this bike. Quality isn’t sacrificed in the quest for a keen sticker price The gearchange is faultless, with a precise shift action coupled to a light but positive clutch take-up that makes easy work of getting away promptly at traffic lights, although you don’t need to use it for upwards changes from second gear on. It’s a very intuitive bike to ride, which will be super accessible for the UK learners it’s built to serve. Seat is fine for rider and pillion but some grabrails would be good The engine is peppy as well as smooth, with zestful acceleration for a 350 single. I’ve covered hundreds of kilometres on all Royal Enfield’s 350 models, and the new BSA is a clear cut above any of them in terms of performance. It takes off really briskly when you accelerate hard, and top (sixth) gear roll-on at 80km/h was better than I expected. A brief spurt up the motorway showed it completely at home cruising at an indicated 115km/h. Still sitting normally, I saw 122km/h on the clock without any undue vibration, so it’ll go fast enough to easily keep up with traffic. Rear suspension has 100mm of travel and is fairly stiffly sprung However, the new Bantam is most at home flicking from side to side on sweeping country lanes, where its agile handling coupled with inbuilt stability via the 18-inch front wheel, conservative steering geometry and long wheelbase make it a fun and dependable ride that stays planted in turns. I know from testing them on other Indian-made products from Bajaj and TVS that the MST tyres now give excellent grip coupled with durability, and the BSA was no exception – they were grippy on the angle and drove well out of turns, though the 29Nm engine performance wasn’t likely to overstress them too much. Classy-looking exhaust emits a nice burble when the throttle is pinned to the stop Moreover, pickup response from a closed throttle is truly excellent, with well-mapped fueling that will make this very controllable bike accessible for less experienced riders. The engine has been tuned to be both crisp and well controlled in throttle response, especially at low revs. There’s a seamless response to your throttle input, meaning there isn’t a sudden spurt forward thanks to a snatchy take-off from a standstill in bottom gear, or a brusque pickup from a closed throttle exiting a turn in second or third. Instead, the Bantam is completely predictable in the way it responds to your right hand, thanks to that excellent fuelling. The power delivery is smoothly responsive in any of the bottom three gears, allowing you to exploit the Bantam’s willing nature. The engine’s EFI has been expertly mapped; it’s not easy to achieve this best of both worlds, with that crisp response allied to a smooth, clean initial pickup while also delivering Euro 5+ compliance, but BSA’s engineers have done so where some other entry-level bike manufacturers (perhaps more used to delivering high-performance engine tuning) continue to fail. Custom-looking taillight is standard The Bybre brakes are now pretty ubiquitous on Indian motorcycles destined for export markets, and the ones on the Bantam lived up to expectations in stopping it well from high speed, via a nicely gauged lever response. However, there was some fork dive when I used the front stopper hard on its own, which is probably the payoff from it having to be a jack of all trades in terms of suspension settings on a non-adjustable front end. Otherwise, the Gabriel suspension did its job okay, although the twin rear shocks were pretty stiffly sprung with limited wheel travel (100mm) and seemed to bounce back from compression faster than I’d have liked; more rebound damping would have been better. You’ll want to weight the footrests to lift yourself up a little when hitting bumps. But the non-adjustable 41mm fork worked pretty well in ironing out road rash. Again, it gave you confidence in terms of feedback from the front tyre, and the 135mm of wheel travel was adequately damped. Budget brakes got the tick of approval from our tester But where the BSA Bantam comes into its own is as an urban warrior ready to fight its corner in city streets and urban parkways. Its torque is sufficient to ensure you can jump ahead of cars at traffic lights and stop signs. The light clutch and smooth but responsive pickup allows you to make easy work of picking your way through traffic, where the 800mm high seat lets you see ahead to plan your campaign against the stationary tintops, and the wide handlebar gives good leverage in negotiating tight changes of direction, with the Bantam’s slim build facilitating your progress. The long first gear also helps. Little BSA logos everywhere! “The original BSA Bantam helped create a new age of motorcycling, increasing the popularity of motorbikes by making them accessible for all,” says Classic Legends co-founder Anupam Thareja. “The new BSA Bantam promises the same thing, along with beautiful craftsmanship and comfort, at an affordable price. Radiator doesn’t dominate the engine, showing the effort put into retaining a traditional look “We want to get people back into motorcycles, and the fundamental thing which you want to welcome people with is the price point. So, to launch a beautiful engine which heads the competition in terms of performance, but which is very welcoming to everybody because of its accessibility and affordability, is how we intend to go about doing that. That’s how we want to get the world back into bikes, with a model which combines classic styling with modern design touches which makes it appeal to all generations. We hope we’ve succeeded!” Sir Al is actually wondering if he might bite the ‘bullet’, so to speak, and get one for the man cave Bonneville. Monster. Commando. Vespa. Bantam. There’s a select list of motorcycle and scooter models that have become such iconic products in their own right that adding the name of the manufacturer responsible for them is simply redundant. But while those first four examples are still very much a part of today’s global marketplace, the BSA Bantam has been ‘resting’ since 1971, when the last-ever 174cc version was manufactured. Now ‘Bantam is Back’, as the BSA T-shirts declare. Light, manageable, and for sale at a killer price, this bike is aimed at the descendants of people who rode Bantams back in the day, who won’t be too interested in the historical allusions, more so in the fact that it offers huge value for money that goes beyond the illustrious name on the tank. Bantam is indeed back – and BSA may very well have a surprise hit on their hands with it. PROS – Light, manageable and for sale at a killer price, its performance knocks the socks off its long-stroke rivals. CONS – Price point means cost cutting and losing such items as a USB charge point and luggage tie-down points. SPECIFICATIONS ENGINE Capacity 334cc Type Liquid cooled four-stroke four-valve single with chain-driven DOHC camshafts Bore & stroke 81mm x 65mm Compression ratio 11:1 Carburation Multipoint EFI with single injector Gearbox 6-speed Clutch Multiplate oil-bath with slip-assist clutch PERFORMANCE Power 21.6kW (29hp) @ 7750rpm (measured at crankshaft) Torque: 29.62Nm @ 6000rpm CHASSIS Frame Tubular steel duplex cradle frame Suspension Front: Non-adjustable 41mm Gabriel telescopic fork with 135mm of wheel travel Rear: Oval-section tubular steel swingarm with twin Gabriel shocks offering 100mm wheel travel with five-step spring preload adjustability DIMENSIONS Head angle 29° Wheelbase 1440mm Seat height 800mm Weight 185kg with oil/water/90% fuel Fuel capacity 13 litres WHEELS & BRAKES Brakes Front: Single 320mm steel disc with floating two-piston caliper and Continental ABS Rear: Single 240mm steel disc with floating two-piston caliper and Continental ABS Wheels/tyres Front: 100/90-18 MRF Zapper MF-3 tubeless on cast aluminium wheel Rear: 150/70-17 MRF Steel Brace FP-01 tubeless on cast aluminium wheel CONTACT Manufacturer Classic Legends Mumbai, Maharashtra, India info@bsacompany.co.uk The post ROAD TEST | 2025 BSA Bantam 350 appeared first on Australian Motorcycle News.

What’s so great about a bike with modest performance that’s been around for the best part of a decade? The Interceptor 650 has been a mainstay of Royal Enfield’s range since its launch in 2018. It took the company from single cylinder 350s into the middleweight twin-cylinder segment. The model remains a strong seller, despite only having had minor updates. Intrigued to see what continues to attract buyers to such a basic model, AMCN jumped on one for a couple of weeks of winter riding. FIRST IMPRESSIONS Threatening rain, the temperature hovering around 13°C but the wind-chill factor making it feel like 7°C. Not the ideal time to coax an unfamiliar motorcycle into heavy traffic on a major arterial road. However, as soon as I let the clutch out, the Royal Enfield Interceptor 650 I’d just fired up felt like a bike I’d been riding for months, not seconds. It felt totally undemanding, with a light clutch and throttle action. As I powered into the commuter traffic, I soon discovered enough torque to push boldly through, and a well-balanced chassis that made lane changes effortless. On a day like this, with rain squalls sweeping the approaching freeway, a ride like this would have been challenging on a more powerful, performance-focused motorcycle. While these are the bikes that make motorcycling the best way to spend a sunny day on an empty backroad, the Interceptor 650 is the bike that confirms motorcycling is the way to travel anytime, rain, hail or shine. As I settled into a 100km/h drone down the freeway, the wind tried to push me around. I simply sat back a little farther along the twinseat and crouched down lower to the handlebar. A modest power delivery meant overtaking at freeway speeds needed a bit of forward planning but there was enough grunt on tap to close a gap and overtake without stress. Simplicity personified in a Sixties throwback. However, we’re not sure about the braced motocross-style handlebar Turning off onto a series of ridgetop roads that led to the coast provided an early chance to test the handling. Despite the wind sweeping the blacktop with gum leaves, the Interceptor 650 maintained a brisk pace. I soon learned the best way to get around corners was the old school slow-in/accelerate-out. That way the fairly basic suspension and brakes had done their job early and there was nothing to focus on but nailing the apex. Keeping the engine just below the boil at 4500rpm to 6000rpm through corners made this quite an exhilarating experience and took me back to the heyday of big British twins of the Sixties and early Seventies. This was an era of performance where torque was king and sweeping lines through corners the way to make safe and fast progress. Royal Enfield marketing states: “The Interceptor 650 is a trove of 60s design staples… A dual cradle frame with a rear loop makes up the core, by way of a nod to the original Interceptor.” Let’s look at the original. HISTORY LESSON The first Interceptor, based on the Constellation 700 twin, started out as a low-volume, export-only hotrod aimed at the American market. The engine was enlarged to 736cc, fitted with larger main bearings, high-lift camshafts, a crankshaft dynamically balanced for smoothness at high revs and twin carbs. It put out 43kW (58hp) at 6700rpm and had a kerb weight of 195kg. Royal Enfield claimed it was “the largest and most powerful vertical twin in the world”. The original Interceptor was launched in 1962 with a 736cc engine, the same year as Norton’s 750cc Atlas (actually 745cc) When American magazine Cycle World tested one in September 1962, it said: “The cruising speed is higher than almost anything else available today. At a true 100mph it is cranking over only 5200rpm… at 70mph it turns a leisurely 3600rpm.” They also reported it took up to 10 big kicks to start the engine, the brakes were weak, the fuel tank had no reserve lever and the kill switch was awkwardly positioned. Alloy cowl hides throttle body The Interceptor was upgraded over the decade but the factory could never keep up with demand and probably less than 2000 were made. In 1970 a prototype 778cc version was built but by then Royal Enfield’s UK operation was in its death throes. Sintered brake pads would be a cheap upgrade for more bite Curiously, the English frame builder Rickman, by then one of the country’s largest motorcycle makers, snapped up 200 engines cheaply to produce and sell 137 Rickman Interceptors. The Interceptor remained a desirable niche classic. Aware of the name’s cachet, Royal Enfield, now revitalised by India’s Eicher Motors conglomerate, branded the Interceptor as one of its two model entries into the parallel-twin market segment in 2018. OLD SCHOOL BUT NOT OLD The Interceptor 650 might look like it has the DNA of the original but that’s just limited to aesthetics. The engine doesn’t have the vibration-prone layout of a typical British twin from the Sixties. A forged steel crankshaft is supported by three main bearings, not the two found on old Brit twins. Crankpins are set at 270°, not the 360° of old. Rather than the pistons rising and falling in unison, they push against each other like a V-twin, virtually eliminating vibration. Compare this view to the original (pic 2) and you can see how hard Royal Enfield worked to recreate a worthy successor The Interceptor 650 is very smooth, with mild vibes setting in over 6000rpm up to the redline and rev limiter at 7150rpm. The gearbox has six speeds, whereas the original had four widely spaced ratios. This means although the power output is less than the original (35kW/47hp), the engine’s power and torque can get to the ground more efficiently. At 202kg wet, the Interceptor 650 weighs slightly more than the original, which might surprise some people. This is due to a combination of traditional styling and the requirement for modern pollution controls. Changing the heavy exhaust system for a lightweight 2-1 should save you around 15kg. Handy grabrail to lift Interceptor onto its mainstand, which comes as standard That traditional styling sees the engine and frame looking quite similar to the original. The large peashooter exhausts mimic the racing megaphones seen on Sixties British production racers. The fuel cap looks like a classic Monza item but has a hidden key lock. Small brushed aluminium guards cover modern components such as the rear brake master cylinder and fuel injection throttle bodies. The chrome fuel tank on our test bike is an almost exact copy of the original Interceptor’s, while the digital speedo and tacho look analogue but contain integrated fuel and warning lights. Royal Enfield sees the Interceptor 650 as a potential blank canvas for an owner who wants to modify to personal taste. For example, the plastic mudguard extensions are easily removed and there is an extensive catalogue of add-ons. These include a current offer of an Interceptor Accessory Kit for $840 that includes pannier mounts, soft panniers, an extensive alloy sump guard, engine crash bars and a small touring windscreen. Sixties-style headlight and Seventies-style fork brace PRICE DOESN’T SACRIFICE QUALITY Whether you like the Interceptor 650 or not, there is no denying the execution and production standard is outstanding – considering the ride away price starts at $10,990. This is possible because it’s made in a factory with the most modern production-line technology and management strategies firmly in place. I interviewed Lester Harris in early 2016 after Eicher Motors had totally acquired Harris Performance. He had just completed a tour of Royal Enfield’s production facilities in India and was bursting with enthusiasm. “What they are doing over there is simply jaw-dropping,” he said. “They have robotics and the most modern factory technology you’ll find anywhere. Everything is in place for Royal Enfield to become a major player in the global motorcycle market.” Those huge megaphone-style mufflers dominate the rear. However, the exhaust adds to kerb weight. Replace with an S&S or Tassie Vertex 2-1 for less than $2k and you could save 15kg Pressed on the company’s future model range, Lester wouldn’t be drawn on detail but said Royal Enfield had “a range of engines in the pipeline, concentrating on the mid-capacity segment”. A year later, Royal Enfield had launched the game-changing Himalayan, followed by the Interceptor 650 in 2018. This started an upward trajectory that now sees it selling one million motorcycles a year. TO SUM UP Despite a lack of electronic sophistication, the Interceptor 650 still has a major role to play in motorcycling. It offers an escape from the complexity of operating many of today’s more expensive bikes but has enough performance and handling to satisfy even the most cynical long-term rider. Its modest price is the entry to a world of simpler pleasures: easy riding, no worries, a glimpse back to the golden age of parallel twins. That keen ride away price also gives a buyer scope to improve its suspension, lose some weight or customise to individual taste. Monza-style fuel cap has lock hidden under the centre strip The Interceptor 650 is easy and fun to ride. It doesn’t matter if it’s a quick trip to the local shop or a two-hour ride to a river, mountain or beach, the Interceptor 650 feels intuitive and the laidback riding experience will bring a smile to the most hardened face. PROS – Classic design is very nearly perfectly executed at a very affordable price. CONS – Suspension is a compromise, especially for a pillion. Not sure about the motocross-style handlebar. The 80k roadrunner Jan Stefanek has clocked up 84,000km on the Interceptor 650 he bought in mid-July 2019. The mileage has included local “fanging around” and two big return trips from Adelaide to Sydney. “I just love riding it, anywhere, anytime,” he said. Stefanek, a former Sydney motorcycle shop employee who returned to riding after a long absence, added: “It’s so easy to ride, it’s like cheating.” He listed the few repairs he has done to it as the kilometres mounted: two headlight globes, steering head bearings at 50,000km, replacing the back brake’s pressure switch, repacking the aftermarket mufflers and a few sets of new tyres. Stefanek does his own maintenance on the Interceptor and has improved it with some minor modifications. The most extensive came at 15,000km when he replaced the suspension with YSS rear shocks and front fork internals. The parts cost around $1200 back then but made the suspension fully adjustable. He also fitted sintered brake pads for more bite and a DNA washable air filter. He wired a booster plug into the induction and fitted aftermarket mufflers to make the engine more responsive. The Interceptor has given him a lot of pleasure over the years. “One time coming back from Sydney I rode in a loop to Halls Gap and then over to Horsham through the Grampians,” he said. “It was just wonderful and what this bike is made for.” Mods and rock’n Royal Enfield has employed clever marketing strategies to keep the Interceptor 650 relevant. These involve custom competitions and racing. It built a dirt-track-styled custom version for the 2019 EICMA show in Milan. Soon after, a heavily massaged, bored-out 750cc version was fitted to a Harris Performance chassis, now owned by Eicher, and won a Production Twins flat-track race in the US. The engine’s horsepower had been doubled and the redline raised to 9500rpm. The Sabre after its record run 3. Gary Birtwhistle gave Royal Enfield its first European title since 1956 Meanwhile in Australia, Melbourne dealer Mid Life Cycles built a land speed racer and entered it in Royal Enfield’s 2019 Busted Knuckles custom competition. The engine featured locally developed parts Mid Life Cycles intended to offer to road customers. These included a ported head with racing-profile camshafts, high-compression forged pistons and modified throttle bodies. Burt Munro would have loved this! A locally-built Interceptor challenged for the win at the annual beach race Andrew and Charlie Hallam developed what was named the Sabre. On his first attempt racing on the salt at Lake Gairdner, Charlie (now Troy Herfoss’s key Bagger technician) broke the four-year-old Class M-F 650 record, for unstreamlined motorcycles running on commercially available unleaded petrol. In worsening track conditions, he eventually ran 133.779mph (215.296km/h) top speed for a new overall record of 132.050mph (212.514km/h). Gary Birtwhistle gave Royal Enfield its first European title since 1956 Over in New Zealand, tuning specialists Wanaka Powersports built up a dirt-tracker it called the Intertracker 865. Stripped to the bare frame and rebuilt with K-Tech suspension and custom wheels, the engine was beefed up with an S&S big-bore 865cc kit, racing camshaft and 2-1 exhaust. The Intertracker came third on debut in the 2020 Burt Munro Beach Race. Johnny Lewis rode this hotted-up Interceptor to wins in US Production Twins flat track A year later in the UK, Gary Birtwhistle and Aussie Paul Young won the Dirt Track Rider’s Association championship on debut using Interceptor 650 engines in Harris Performance frames. It was Royal Enfield’s first factory title in Europe since Johnny Britten won the National Trials title way back in 1956. The Build Train Race program has been running in the US since 2019 Since 2019, Royal Enfield, in conjunction with S&S Performance and American racing authorities, has run the Build Train Race program. Women riders are vetted for ability and get the chance to learn racing and choose from an Interceptor 650 for flat track competition or a Continental GT for track racing. They are mentored in modifying the bikes, taught how to race them and then compete in a nationwide championship. PARALLEL TWIN COMPETITION Triumph Bonneville T100 Engine Liquid-cooled, 900cc Power/torque 47.8kW (64.1hp)/80Nm Weight 228 wet Price From $19,350 ride away Kawasaki Z650 Engine Liquid-cooled, 649cc Power/torque 50kW (67hp)/65Nm Weight 187kg wet Price From $13,058 ride away SPECIFICATIONS ENGINE Capacity 648cc Type Parallel-twin, SOHC, four valves per cylinder Bore & stroke 78mm x 67.8mm Compression ratio 9.5:1 Cooling Air/oil Fueling EFI, with dual throttle bodies Transmission Six-speed Clutch Wet, multi-plate Final drive Chain PERFORMANCE Power 35kW (47hp) @ 7150rpm (claimed) Torque 56.5Nm @ 5150rpm (claimed) Top speed 180km/h (est) Fuel consumption 4.8L/100km (measured) ELECTRONICS Type Bosch Rider aids ABS CHASSIS Frame material Composite steel Frame type Double cradle Rake 24° Trail 106m0 Wheelbase 1460mm SUSPENSION Type Conventional Front: 41mm, non-adjustable, 110mm travel Rear: Dual shocks, preload adjustable, 88mm travel WHEELS & BRAKES Wheels Wire-spoked aluminium Front: 18 x 2.5 Rear: 18 x 3.5 Tyres Ceat Front: 100/90-18 Rear: 130/70-18 Brakes ByBre, ABS Front: Single 320mm disc, twin-piston caliper Rear: Single 240mm disc, single-piston caliper DIMENSIONS Weight 202kg (kerb, claimed) Seat height 804mm Width 789mm Height 1165mm Length 2122mm Ground clearance 174mm Fuel capacity 13.7L SERVICING & WARRANTY Servicing 1000km Minor: 5000km Major: 10,000km Warranty Three years, unlimited km, roadside assist BUSINESS END Price From $10,990 ride away Colour options Cali Green, Canyon Red, Sunset Strip, Black Pearl, Downtown Drag, Mark Two CONTACT royalenfield.com.au The post ROAD TEST | Royal Enfield Interceptor 650 appeared first on Australian Motorcycle News.