Single Cylinder Articles
Husqvarna TR 650 Strada and Terra: like a G650GS, but fun
To create these new Husqvarna TR 650s, BMW tuned its budget G650GS motor for a little more power and housed it in a bespoke frame. The result should be a fun, affordable dual sport and supermoto. The Husqvarna TR 650 Strada is, as the name suggests, the street version. That means cast wheels (19-inch front, 17 rear) and standard ABS. The Husqvarna TR 650 Terra gets spoked wheels and a 21-inch f...
The street-legal, single-cylinder KTM RC4 sportsbike
To many of you, the bike you see here is something of a unicorn. A street-legal, single-cylinder sportsbike that weighs just 275lbs and makes 70bhp. That KTM LC4 motor is well-proven, has reasonable service intervals and won’t rattle your fillings out. Looks sexy in RC8-esque fairings too. The problem? KTM doesn’t actually make it, instead, the RC4 is only available in kit form from a German s...
Yamaha XTW250 Ryoku: 21st century adventure
This is the first ADV-style motorcycle to successfully break the GS mold, striking out with design and mechanical configuration all its own. One part Lego and one part Tonka truck, Yamaha describes the Ryoku as “a reliable tool for people who love the outdoors.” And they do mean tool. The engine guard detaches to form a handy shovel. We're the only people with these high-res images. Words...
Dailies
2012 KTM 690 Duke: lighter, faster, cheaper, not for the US
MCN has scooped some early details of the 2012 KTM 690 Duke. The Austrian manufacturer appears to have achieved the impossible, meeting stringent new emissions regulations while also upping power and reducing weight and price. Power is said to increase from 64 to “around” 70bhp (the bike’s still in pre-production form, so hasn’t put down an official figure yet) thanks to high-tech new feat...
Custom: RK Concepts Spring Frame
Browsing the winners of the AMD World Championship of custom bike building at Sturgis, we saw a bunch of the usual raked-out Harleys and non-functional art bikes. Then we came across this...thing. Not only does it use a 450cc Yamaha single-cylinder in place of the usual Harley v-twin, but it actually attempts to do something genuinely new with function, the frame and suspension are one and the sam...
Dailies
KTM pulls Duke, SuperDuke from American market
KTM does not plan to import the 990 SuperDuke or 690 Duke to the North American market this year or next, citing unfavorable market conditions. In the case of the SuperDuke, the move is likely intended to clear dealer stock ahead of the new 1290cc bike which is arriving for the 2013 model year. Sadly, in the case of the single-cylinder Duke, it appears the new model isn’t destined for North Amer...
Custom: RSD KTM 525 Cafe Moto
“60bhp, 250lbs, ultra sticky tires with great geometry and a moderately comfortable seating position. To ride a bike this light in anger is an absolute game changer. It makes you feel like Rossi, but at a quarter of the speed,” describes Roland Sands. This KTM 525 EXC was converted into a cafe racer with fully custom body work and radically lowered suspension. Roland’s calling the concept ... Hammarhead in the age of mechanical reproduction
During the month of March, Hammarhead will exhibit three custom motorcycles at Philadelphia's Art in the Age of Mechanical Reproduction gallery. Most of the collection will be familiar to Hell for Leather readers; however, the exhibition will also include the new Hammar 449, a work in progress. This urban scrambler will features a bespoke frame, lots of alloy and a 449cc Honda CRF X motor. ...
Ryca CS-1: my first cafe racer
You've got 10 seconds to guess which 650cc, air-cooled, single-cylinder engine and steel cradle frame form the basis of this Ryca CS-1 cafe racer. Hint: it's got a low-maintenance belt final drive. Got it? No you don't. It's not anything dirt-based and it's not anything from Milwaukee. >Los Angeles-based Ryca Motors has figured out a way to easily convert a Suzuki S40 to a cafe racer. The convers... 2010 Husqvarna SM630: more power, more comfort
The 2010 Husqvarna SM630 has been updated over the previous 610 with an all-new chassis and a modified engine. The DOHC engine now displaces a full 600cc and makes 20% more power than the previous 570cc unit -- 56bhp and 41lb/ft of torque -- which only needs to motivate 158kg/348lbs (dry). Comfort has been improve for both rider and passenger with thicker seat padding and new grab handles, while p...
Dailies
Mac Motorcycles considers switch to Yamaha power
Just months after announcing it intended to offer a range of cafe racers based around the Buell Blast's single-cylinder engine, Mac Motorcycles was blindsided by Harley's declaration that large-scale production of the Blast would cease. Left without a cheap supply of air-cooled singles, Mac is considering the liquid-cooled engine from the Yamaha XT660Z. That would mean more power if less pure look...
Dailies
