Ducati Scrambler Desert Sled, Café Race, and Full Throttle
Also new to the Scrambler lineup are three new sweet-looking versions of the model to fit different types of personalities.
The Desert Sled takes what the Scrambler already does fairly well—scramble—and takes it a step further. This package enhances the bike’s off-roading capability thanks to a set of knobby Pirelli Scorpion Rally tires, combined with Kayaba adjustable suspension and an Off Road riding mode that disengages the ABS. The Desert Sled comes in a white and red livery with matching red frame and yellow coil spring suspension at the back.
The Café Racer is pretty self explanatory—it saves you a trip to the body shop should you have the ambition of turning a Ducati Scrambler into a café-style model. The styling is inspired by Ducati’s 125GP Desmo from the late 50s. The model is offered in a bright silver-and-blue color scheme, complete with vintage Ducati Scrambler badging. It also gets clip ons mounted with bar end mirrors as well as spoke wheels and a blue saddle.
Last but not least is the Full Throttle, the proof that flat track racing is a trend on the rise. The bike is inspired by the dirt track, more specifically by Frankie Garcia’s Super Hooligan flat-track Scrambler he road this season. Clad in yellow and black, the Full Throttle also gets a side number holder, a new set of wheels as well as a new perforated saddle with contrasting stitching.
Honda Monkey and Super Cub
For 2019, Honda has updated the look of its two tiny bikes, the hilarious Monkey and globally popular Super Cub. Originally hitting the market in 1958, sales of the model reached 100 million units in 2017, making the Super Cub the highest-selling motorcycle in the world. 40 years after having been removed from the US lineup, the Super Cub is making a comeback to celebrate the model's 60th anniversary.
As for the Monkey, the 60s model inspired by a carnival ride is getting a neo-retro treatment in time for its return to the US market alongside the Cub. Both models are powered by a 125cc, four-stroke engine which positions them right next to the popular Grom.
The two tiny bikes are as basic and accessible as can be—even their price is ultra accessible with the Cub starting at only $3,599 and the Monkey at $3,999.
Kawasaki W800 Café
The W800 is finally coming to America. After being a European exclusivity for so long, Kawasaki is reviving the W and will introduce it to the US market. What we are getting, however, is the Café version of the model with the racer fairing—the fully naked version could be coming later this year.
The new 800 is built on a brand-new structure and each component has been optimized according to the level of strain and pressure it receives thanks to a fancy analysis software. At its core, the model keeps the same air-cooled, 773cc, parallel twin engine found in the previous generation. Kawasaki sticks to a very retro regime with the W’s setting, fitting the bike with tube tires, a basic 5-gear transmission, and a twin shock spring suspension at the back, among other things.
A lovely feature of this design is the bevel shaft that drives the overhead camshaft—the only current production model to feature one. This layout is inspired by early-century motorcycles. While the engine looks like it’s been fitted with carburetors, it uses instead a more modern, direct injection system. The assist slipper clutch is yet another “modern” feature of the W: there’s little to no fluff on this model. No ABS, no ride modes. Even the speedometer and tachometer are analog—only the odometer is digital. A series of accessories can be added to make the W800 more versatile, including heated grips, passenger grab bar, luggage rack, and hook nut set.
Norton Atlas
British maker Norton created some waves when it introduced its all-new Atlas, offered in the Nomad and the Ranger variation. The company’s plan with the Atlas is also quite ambitious—from producing premium and low-volume models, Norton is now dabbling into mass production thanks among other things to the model’s attractive pricing that starts at $12,000 for the entry level Atlas Nomad.
The Atlas also adds a new mid-range engine to the company’s portfolio, a downsized variation of the 1,200cc V4 it has been working on for its V4 RR, with a different cylinder layout. Both the Nomad and the Ranger get a 650cc, parallel twin with double overhead cam rated at 85 horsepower and 47 lb-ft of torque.
Both models are built on a steel twin tube chassis complete with an aluminum swingarm, fitted with aluminum spoke wheels, displaying a dry weight of 392 lb. The Nomad is the tamer version showcasing a more classic scrambler aesthetic. It features a 15-liter composite tank, 18-inch wheel at the front and 17-inch wheel at the back, Brembo brake kits, and Roadholder adjustable fork and monoshock suspension.
The Ranger is introduced as the slightly wilder twin. It is mounted on a 19-inch wheel at the front and a 17-inch at the back and comes with skid plate, mudguard, aluminum rear panel, cowl with windscreen, and braced handlebar. It receives a slightly longer-travel adjustable Roadholder suspension as well.
Royal Enfield Continental GT and INT 650
Royal Enfield’s Twins took their sweet time to make their way to the market, but finally, the pair was announced for 2019 with an excellent price to match, slipping just below the $6k belt. The Continental GT and INT 650 are Royal Enfield’s brand new twins, powered, as their nickname suggests, by an equally new 648cc parallel twin mill rated at 47 horsepower.
Stopping power comes from single front and rear disks with standard ABS. Featuring more classic styling reminiscent of bikes of the '60s, the INT 650 features a teardrop tank, raised handlebars, and mid-controls. Twin number two, the Continental GT 650, sports a look that's more cafe racer with clip-ons, a sculpted tank, and rearsets.
Suzuki SV650X
The SV650 has built a reputation for being a pretty straightforward, easy-to-get-on bike with just enough gut to be fun and to provide first-time riders with a good starter. While the bike is usually recognized for its sport naked silhouette—though it did get a full sport fairing at some point in its history—it seemed a good place to start for Suzuki’s first and shy incursion in the world of retro design.
Granted, the brand does have a few vintage-inspired models on the fleet, but they are small displacement bikes (think Van Vann 200 and TU250X). Suzuki is the only company that hasn’t succumbed to the call of history and hasn’t introduced a proper vintage-looking model. What the company did instead is take the SV650’s blank canvas and give it a special spin. FOr 2019, the US market is getting the SV650X which is a standard SV fitted with a rounded cowl, a tuck-and-roll saddle, and clip-ons. The model’s specs don’t change—aside from the new-to-the-lineup adjustable front fork.
Triumph Speed Twin
Digging the name out from the history books, Triumph has introduced yet another model to its lineup for 2019. When it announced the Speed Twin, Triumph left us to guess as to where the newcomer was going to stand within the lineup. When it was finally introduced it December, the new Speed Twin found a sweet spot between the Thruxton’s sportiness and the Bonneville’s riding ergonomics.
The Speed looks like a healthy dose of Bonneville T120 and Street Twin styling, propelled by the Triumph’s top-of-the-line mill, the 1,200cc, 8-valve, 270° crankshaft parallel-Twin big bore offered in the Thruxton, Scrambler, and the Bonneville. The mill has been tuned to produce almost as much power as the Thruxton in a much lighter package. Thanks to lighter components including magnesium cam cover, engine covers, as well as a revised clutch assembly that have resulted in a lighter block, the Speed Twin weighs in at 434lb, which makes it lighter than the Bonneville and the Thruxton, with an output rated at 96 hp. The new model has the potential of becoming one of Triumph’s most exciting ride.
Suspension is provided by Kayaba forks and twin Kayaba shocks at the back. At the front, the wheel is fitted with a set of Brembo four-piston caliper and 305mm disk while at the back, Nissin provides all the grip in the form of a two-piston caliper mounted on a 220mm disk. The model receives three riding modes, Sport, Road, and Rain. It receives a set of elegant analog gauges—a step away from the brand’s recent addition of new TFT displays.
It looks like Triumph has found a sweet spot with the new 2019 Speed Twin by combining the more relaxed geometry of the Bonneville with the performance of the Thruxton, wrapped up in a reasonably-priced package.
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