When it comes to adventure and dual-sport riding, having proper lighting is crucial, especially when navigating trails. It’s easy for time to slip away when you’re an avid adventurer. Before you know it, night falls, and the trail ahead becomes a daunting challenge. This is particularly true if you ride a dual-sport bike rather than a full-fledged adventure motorcycle.
Dual-sport bikes often come with mediocre lighting systems, typically using halogen headlights with limited visibility. While some dual-sports are equipped with LEDs, they still can’t compete with the advanced lighting systems found on today’s top adventure motorcycles. However, the aftermarket is here to save the day. If you ride a Suzuki DR650 or DR-Z400 and plan to hit the trails until exhaustion, you need to check out Baja Designs’ headlight kit.
Baja Designs, a well-established player in the off-road and dual-sport market, has developed the Dual S1 headlight kit specifically for Suzuki DR650 and DR-Z400 motorcycles of all generations. According to the company, this kit fits bikes ranging from 1990 to 2023. The headlight comes with a high and low adapter harness that easily connects to the factory headlight plug. You can replace your stock headlight in just minutes with this plug-and-play setup.
The Dual S1 features a pair of Cree LED lights, each offering an impressive 2,320 lumens of output. One light serves as a spotlight, while the other has a wider field of view, ensuring excellent visibility of the trail even in the darkest conditions. Together, these lights emit a blinding 4,640 lumens combined. Keep in mind that you should check your local regulations to ensure this setup is street-legal.
The Dual S1 kit includes one S1 Spot LED clear bulb, one S1 Wide Cornering LED clear bulb, an S1 Amber Wide Cornering Lens, and a Dual S1 Faceplate to give your bike an OEM-plus look. The package also includes a wiring adapter and all the necessary mounting hardware. The price for this comprehensive lighting setup is an attractive $314.95 USD.
Supermotos are probably one of the greatest things the human race ever invented. Take an incredibly fun-to-ride motocross bike and put some road tires on it, so you can ride it on the street. Even better, put some slick racing tires on it and race these pieces of motorcycle art around a small track. Since 2003, and AMA’s first-ever Supermoto Championship, their popularity only grew. So if you are looking for your next bike, besides buying a superbike or a supernaked, why not give a supermoto a chance? And when it comes to supermoto bikes, one name sure stands out, those three magical letters… KTM!
The KTM 450 SMR – Built To Dominate The Race-Track
KTM
Photo of a KTM 450 SMR doing a wheelie on a race-track
One of the best things, besides Arnold of course, that has ever come out of Austria. The KTM’s supermoto line, and the 450 SMR that was imagined as the ultimate track-day weapon. Without a doubt, this machine is just way too tempting to be overlooked, and for 2024, it’s getting even more addictive.
There are plenty of upgrades for the new 450 SMR, so let’s start with everyone’s favorite part. The engine. It is a one-cylinder four-stroke 449.9 cc engine that makes an impressive 63 horsepower. KTM swears that its new single-overhead-camshaft engine continues to be one of the most insane and perfectly executed mechanical gems. Going down the same line as their motocross and hard-enduro/dual-sport line-up, the 450 SMR’s engine was lightened (now weighs only 59 lbs) and pushed towards the center of the bike for better handling and anti-squat behavior.
How did they get a lightweight engine capable of pushing 63 horsepower? With the new cylinder head. Shorter and lighter with a more compact profile. Next was the new ultra-light crankshaft to offer more performance, better response when you twist the throttle, and to keep any pesky vibrations to a minimum. The housing for the crankshaft was made through a high-pressure die-cast process to get thinner and more durable walls. The slipper clutch is from Suter Racing and offers rear stability when you slam on the brakes in the middle of an apex.
The light-weight exhaust is a compact two-piece header that can easily be removed without messing around with the rear shocks. But, things get even better at the exhaust department. You can also order, from the KTM’s power parts list, an Akrapovič ‘Evolution Line’ exhaust. Made from light-weight, high-grade titanium, and 1,9lbs lighter than the stock one.
The frame was made to provide flexibility while keeping it solid length-wise. The sub-frame was made from reinforced aluminum and polyamide for increased durability and flexibility. The swing-arm was also made to be as light as possible, therefore aluminum was used to make it.
The suspension on the 450 SMR is top-of-the-line, specifically made for supermoto bikes. The front fork is a 48 mm air-sprung WP XACT that uses AER technology (basically a capsuled air spring and a pressurized oil chamber). It is easily adjustable through a single air-pressure valve. The rear shock is also WP XACT, and can be easily tuned without the need for tools. Wheels are light-weight Alpina, 16.5 at the front and 17 inches at the rear, and they come dressed in Metzeler’s Racetec K1 supermoto tires. To stop this bad boy is a job for Brembo brakes. A four-piston radially mounted caliper with a 310 mm disc at the front and a one-piston caliper with a 220 mm disc at the rear.
The high-tech stuff is also quite interesting. You get to choose between two engine maps. The first map gives you easily controllable, tamed power delivery. The second map will give you more of a no-holds-barred, anything-goes approach to power output (you were warned). Another cool feature is the easily de/activated quick-shifter that allows you to shift into higher gears without squeezing the clutch, but only from second to fifth gear. To keep you safe when things get slippery is what the traction control is for. If the revs jump too fast, the onboard computer sees that as a loss of grip and cuts down the power to the rear wheel. What kind of street rocket would the 450 SMR be without the launch control? Just press the traction control and quick-shifter button together for this to activate. All of these nice-to-have gadgets come with a base price of $11,999.
The Blue And White Option
Husqvarna
A studio photo of a Husqvarna FS 450 for 2024
The biggest competitor to KTM for the wildest bike is, who else but the KTM-owned Husqvarna. Both of their line-ups for 2024 seem to be aiming at each other’s throats. In the world of off-road bikes, this is the best news someone can hope for. Husqvarna’s FS 450 for 2024 seems more than upgraded and ready to take on the KTM’s 450 SMR.
Although the spec sheet reads the same, a keen motorcycle fan knows that the bike, and the company that makes it, is more than just a list of parts. Husqvarna and KTM do not make the same motorcycles. They are however, in this case, equally priced.
The 4th generation Toyota Hilux is often praised for its reliability and performance. One of its notable features is the 2.4 liter four-cylinder engine, known as the 22R. This engine, similar to Chrysler’s vintage and contemporary Hemi V8 engines, uses swirl-inducing hemispherical combustion chambers. However, the power output of the fuel-injected non-turbocharged variants was only 116 horsepower, making it more known for its durability rather than its horsepower. Many 22R engines have reached distances of over 200,000 miles.
Despite the fact that the 4th gen Hilux was only sold in the U.S. for five years, it made a significant impact. Over 1.5 million Toyota Pickups were sold in the North American market in just five years, making the truck a common sight on the roads for decades.
While the 4th gen Hilux is often seen as a utilitarian used pickup truck, it is gradually gaining collector car status. Generation X members, who have nostalgic memories of the truck from their youth, are particularly interested. According to the valuation website classic.com, the average selling price for a 4th gen Hilux in the past year has been $22,958. This is quite impressive considering the truck likely sold for less than $10,000 when it was new.
On June 10, 2023, aftermarket components specialist Acerbis set off on an extremely formidable undertaking that’s been two years within the making. Several departments inside the firm labored collectively to create a specifically crafted outsized gasoline tank, designed to suit a Honda Monkey completely. Courtesy of this tank, Acerbis believes it will probably set a brand new Guinness World Record for the Greatest Distance Drive on a Single Tank of Fuel by a Motorcycle (Prototype).
The gasoline tank is an enormous factor, and it holds a full 108 liters (or about 28.53 gallons) of gasoline. The undertaking, known as AC50, was designed to kick off in 2023 as a result of it’s also Acerbis’ 50th anniversary. What higher means are you able to consider to rejoice than to do one thing extraordinarily public, that pulls collectively all the abilities and planning that your organization is able to?
The tanks, Acerbis says, are the identical security components by which the corporate has made its title within the aftermarket motorbike components and equipment sport. The journey began in Albino, Italy, and is following a fastidiously deliberate route all the best way to Nordkapp, Norway. The distance of the route is 4,358 kilometers (or about 2707.94 mi), and the group plans to finish the complete distance on one tank as a way to obtain its desired Guinness World Record.
However, though they’ve executed loads of calculations to make sure that they’ve sufficient gasoline to go the gap, it’s additionally potential that they’ll have extra gasoline than they want. In reality, the Acerbis people are relying on it. That’s why they are saying that as an alternative of stopping as soon as they hit their aim in Norway, they intend to maintain using that bike right down to the final drop of gasoline, simply to see how far they will get—after which report their findings, after all.
Such an extended journey could be harmful to finish with only one rider—and that’s not a essential requirement for this document, anyway. As a consequence, Acerbis has assembled a group of three riders who will commerce off on pilot obligation alongside the best way. The group is comprised of enduro rider Andrea Rastrelli, journalist Alicia Sornosa, and journalist Maurizio Vettor.
3Photos
While the Monkey is much from being essentially the most highly effective bike on this planet, it’s extremely fuel-efficient, and it will probably actually get you the place you’re going, for those who don’t need to get there in document time. Those traits make it good for this world document try—and the right option to put on this specially-made Acerbis outsized gasoline tank for the job.
Will the group achieve its efforts? Stay tuned to see how they do.
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