We journey the YZM 500cc TWO STROKE BEAST on a tough observe in Southern California with Carson Brown on the controls. We have been bummed to listen to that the 2024 Fasthouse Two-Stroke World Championship was postponed. We have been happy to have the chance to spend a while with defending champion and Dirt Bike Magazine take a look at rider Carson Brown, although. We obtained to spend a few days with him and his Yamaha/BRC 500. This bike has a ton of customized components and with Carson on the controls you realize its going to be pure chaos. Sit again and luxuriate in a particular video from the Dirt Bike Magazine Crew! Turn up the amount! Scroll down if you need to see extra detailed shot of the YZM500 .
While Harley-Davidson is a model that’s extensively revered these days, the producer hit a quite tough patch in its historical past in the course of the Seventies and early Eighties. During this era, Japanese sportsbikes had been turning into widespread within the US as a result of their decrease price and better efficiency than the all-American traditional, and it did not assist that the corporate had lately been taken over by the AMF company — a enterprise identified for producing such diverse items as nuclear launch methods, bowling gear, and cigarettes.
Under AMF administration, Harley Davidson’s fame took an extra dive with the 1980 Sportster 1000. Weighing in at 529 lbs, the 997-cc V-twin engine had an influence output of solely 55 HP — a ludicrously low determine for a liter bike, even in 1980.
The Sportster was plagued with reliability and construct high quality points, which had been usually exacerbated by questionable design decisions. While homeowners had been irritated by minor points resembling extreme vibration and electrical gremlins, the starter motor was notoriously unreliable, and would fail to show the engine over.
As the 1980 mannequin didn’t have a kick begin, riders had been compelled to both await rescue by the facet of the highway or bump-start their bikes by operating alongside them after which partaking the clutch. Add a excessive price ticket to the package deal, and you’ve got one of the unappealing Harley-Davidson bikes in existence.
The yr is off to a tough begin for Detroit automakers, at the least in the case of recollects. Another one other substantial recall impacts 323,232 Chevrolet and GMC heavy-duty pickup vans as a result of their tailgates spontaneously open.
The recall applies to Silverado HD and Sierra HD vans from the 2020 by means of 2024 mannequin years. That contains 2500 and 3500 fashions, however solely these outfitted with an influence latch on the tailgate. The flawed design permits water to get into the digital swap used for the latch, which might trigger a brief circuit. In flip, this might trigger the tailgate to unlatch whereas the car is in park. Sitting nonetheless, the gate would doubtless stay upright. But driving away with the gate unlatched might result in issues.
Since this drawback probably impacts brand-new vans, General Motors has additionally issued a cease sale for autos at present at dealerships. Documentation posted by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) states these vans can’t be pushed or traded with different sellers. Furthermore, any licensed used pickups on sale at dealerships falling below the recall will lose that certification till repaired.
While we will not say for positive that plan will not work out, we can say that issues look decidedly murkier than they may have final month.
On February 1, 2024, a number of Swedish enterprise information retailers reported that Cake Motorcycles is within the technique of submitting for chapter. RideApart has reached out to Cake Motorcycles for remark and can replace this piece with any response we obtain.
Cake x Vattenfall: Cleanest Dirt Bike Ever undertaking, which the 2 firms started collectively pursuing in 2022.
What Went Wrong?
Multiple elements added up directly, in response to what Cake CEO Stefan Ytterborn instructed the Swedish monetary newspaper Dagens Industri. The most up-to-date blow got here within the type of failed negotiations for Cake’s most up-to-date spherical of funding, which apparently fell by means of utterly on January 31, 2024.
Fellow Swedish enterprise publication Breakit reported on January 24, 2024 that Cake’s monetary state of affairs was so dire that it could not pay salaries for its roughly 139 workers.
“It is not one but several circumstances that have caused us to end up in this situation. Climate issues are no longer in focus, we are in a recession. It’s about us, but it’s also about the venture capital ecosystem. At the moment it is completely dead, there are no takers in the later phase Cake is in,” Ytterborn instructed DI.
One of these elements, in response to Ytterborn, was the belief which you can’t count on folks to pay 40,000 Swedish Krona (that is about $3,811 USD at present conversion charges) for one thing on-line that they have not ridden. The firm’s preliminary direct-to-consumer web site gross sales plan, he mentioned, could be extra probably to attract buyer curiosity if they’d higher alternatives for check rides.
By 2023, there have been a better variety of client (not enterprise fleet) gross sales, thanks partially to creating the bikes extra accessible for check rides of their current markets. Still, the corporate bought round 6,000 bikes final yr in complete. It estimates that it will not obtain profitability till it could possibly promote 7,500 to 10,000 bikes a yr, on the very least.
Cake reportedly additionally has six completely different share courses for traders, with differing guidelines about which courses get dividends earlier than different courses. This disincentivizes potential shareholders from wanting to affix a decrease class that’s much less more likely to obtain dividends.
Swedish Companies Registration Office Confirms The Filing
Cake Motorcycles Bankruptcy Proceedings Initiated – Swedish Companies Registration Office Screenshot captured on February 2, 2024
A public data search reveals that chapter proceedings for Cake formally started in Sweden on February 1, 2024. It’s not but clear how this story will play out, as a result of the proceedings are nonetheless in progress.
What we are able to let you know is that DI studies six entities as the most important shareholders within the firm. They are:
Shareholder
Percentage of Cake Motorcycles Owned
AMF (Swedish pension firm)
11.3%
Stefan Ytterborn, Cake CEO
10.4%
Creandum (Swedish enterprise capital firm)
10.4%
Back in Black Capital
9.3%
Headline (American VC agency)
9.2%
Rutger Arnhult
6.4%
For a radical rundown of the corporate’s financials, together with its losses, the DI piece is value a learn (keep in mind, we’re RideApart, not FinanceApart).
At the time of writing, Cake has but to difficulty any official assertion relating to any of this information. The most up-to-date official assertion out there on Cake’s web site was posted on January 25, 2024, and regards the corporate’s proud announcement of a brand new distribution community for its bikes within the Czech Republic.
RideApart will proceed to report any info we study, together with any official statements from Cake as they come up.
This winter has been tough for some of us. In this case, we aren’t speaking about large quantities of snow or frigid temperatures. We’re speaking about Ohio drivers, who, going by stats revealed by the Ohio Department of Transportation, are drawn to snow plows like Mustang drivers are drawn to burnouts at automotive reveals.
ODOT Press Secretary Matt Bruning confirmed to Motor1 there have been 16 crashes between motorists and snow plows thus far this season. Speaking to us in regards to the scenario, Bruning revealed the latest crash did not result in severe accidents. That’s the case for all the collisions thus far within the Buckeye state, however the frequency of crashes is alarming. There had been 26 for the complete season final 12 months; the climate’s been comparatively delicate this 12 months and there are nonetheless a few months to go.
“We got to 16 quicker this year than last,” he stated. “The first was on January 7 in Cleveland, a plow was sitting in the gore of the highway waiting for snow to start. A driver drifted off the side of the road and hit the plow.”
Crash quantity 15 was the incident that caught our consideration. Shared on Facebook, ODOT says it was a case of distracted driving; nobody suffered life-threatening accidents. The identical can’t be stated for the mangled Audi, identifiable to us solely by the wheels. It’s a stark reminder that, in terms of absolutely anything on 4 wheels versus a snow plow, the plow all the time wins.
“None of these plow strikes have resulted in very significant damage to our trucks,” stated Bunting. “But it still takes time because we have to stop and call in law enforcement to complete a report. If there is enough damage, that plow has to go back to the shop and the driver jumps in a backup plow, or other drivers in the area adjust their route to cover. That means it’s going to take longer to clear the routes.”
And there’s lots to cowl. The state has roughly 43,000 lane miles to clear. ODOT maintains a fleet of 1,500 snow plows to handle all state and US routes outdoors native municipalities. The Ohio Turnpike has its personal staff, however there are nonetheless roughly 8,000 lane miles on interstates alone.
Of course, plow crashes definitely aren’t an Ohio-specific downside. A Subaru WRX was literally split in half by a plow after trying a ridiculous cross in New York in January. But Bruning has spoken with transportation departments in different states and located they are not having fairly the identical subject with vehicles crashing into plows.
“The common factors we see are distraction, or unfortunately impairment; overnight it’s usually an impaired driver that hits us, and we’ve had a couple of those this year,” defined Bruning. “Or it’s just people driving too fast for conditions. They are paying attention. They see the plow, they want to go around the plow, and they think ‘I’ve got a 4WD vehicle, no problem.’ They get in that left lane or go to pass on a two-lane road, and they realize they’ve bitten off more than they can chew and lose control.”
With no less than two months of potential winter exercise nonetheless to come back, Bruning hopes drivers in Ohio get the message that plows want house.
“The plow is 12 feet wide. The lane is 12 feet. A lot of the crashes are people either getting too close and hitting the plow, or rear-ending us. And it happens just as much on two lanes as on the interstate. When that plow is pushing snow, it’s going to create a snow cloud around the plow and visibility will be reduced the closer you get. They’re also dumping salt or brine out the back. I don’t understand why you’d want to get that close.”
Just give them some room,” he says. “Back off, keep a number of automotive lengths away.”
Motorcycle riders have it tough in the case of getting any actual, concrete reliability and security rankings for our bikes. And it is particularly so for trike customers. Just about the one actual recent, unbiased test comes from a Consumer Report study, achieved again in 2015. And though that is pretty current so far as complete giant information research go, we needed to see if there was any new info that we might relay to our readers.
As it occurs, a bike rental firm, Riders Share, with easy accessibility to related buyer information, had completed its own reliability study. They’d made it easy, by monitoring which manufacturers had probably the most tow charges. And although we would rated our checklist utilizing the data pulled from the Consumer Reports research, as that was almost definitely extra thorough, however we would be remiss if we did not point out how fascinating the tow information was as effectively.
In order to provide the latest and correct info potential, the information used to compile this text was sourced from numerous producer web sites and different authoritative sources, together with Consumer Reports, Riders-Share.com, and Rider Magazine.
Three-wheeled bikes have been round for a very long time, however they’ve by no means been this quick or this a lot enjoyable to journey.
10Boss Hoss Dragon
MSRP: $55,124
Brand Reliability: Unknown
Boss Hoss
This little-known firm has been pumping out cool automobiles since 1990. You’re not going to seek out any reliability or security rankings on them, so that they’re caught on the very backside of our checklist. However, the engineers at Boss Hoss Cycles take their craft significantly, and frequently work to enhance their bikes (at least according to their website anyway).
So in order for you a unique trike experience, and the remainder of this checklist is a bit too tame for you, you might wish to look into getting your self a Boss Hoss Dragon as a substitute. Just remember that it is a small, customized enterprise, so reliability and security are unknown.
Though Piaggio was not talked about within the take a look at carried out by Consumer Reports, nor was it a part of the tow research achieved by Riders Share, it’s a large model that not solely makes its personal automobiles, it additionally owns Aprilia, Vespa, and Moto Guzzi. So it is solely honest to incorporate it in our checklist, with a little bit of a disclaimer and a spot beneath each different model that has been examined for reliability.
Piaggio does have a 3-wheel providing, with their MP3 530 HPE scooter, which by all accounts is a fairly well-put-together bike. So when you’re looking out for an honest commuter, with modern-day security options, this fancy trike often is the reply.
Safety Features
ABS/ASR with Braking Integrated Pedal
Rear digital camera operate
Blind spot info system
Engine Specifications
Engine Type
Master HPE single-cylinder, 4-stroke
Displacement
530 cc
Frame Type
Unspecified
Max Power
43.5 HP
Max Torque
35 LB-FT
8Can-Am Ryker
MSRP: $9,599
Brand Reliability: 42% Failed
Can-Am
This could also be painful for Can-Am followers to listen to, however in 2015 the model’s reliability had an appalling 42% failure price. Now, a number of caveats about that. It was a brand-wide determine and didn’t point out particular fashions. And as established earlier, it’s an older research.
But once you mix that info with the 2023 tow research, which once more positioned Can-Am on the backside of the pack, the development of poor reliability continues to this present day. That’s to not say that the Ryker, the entry Can-Am trike, is a foul bike. It’s simply value interested by earlier than writing out that deposit examine.
Safety Features
Bosch’s stability management
Anti-lock brakes
Traction management
Hill maintain management
Engine Specifications
Engine Type
Rotax® 600 ACE™ inline 2 cylinders / 900 ACE™ inline 3 cylinders, liquid-cooled with digital gas injection and digital throttle management
Two-wheel adventures that may be achieved on three wheels too
7Can-Am Spyder F3
MSRP: $22,099
Brand Reliability: 42% Failed
Can-Am
Can-Am has several 3-wheelers available in their showrooms, the center of which is the Spyder F3. Within the F3 title, there are a number of variations which embody the F3-S, F3-T, F3 Limited, and F3 Limited Special Series. Each F3 mannequin comes with a 1,300cc Rotax engine and a slew of security options, which makes it far more highly effective and versatile than the cheaper Ryker.
Safety Features
Bosch’s stability management
Anti-lock brakes
Traction management
Hill maintain management
Dynamic energy steering
Engine Specifications
Engine Type
Rotax ® 1,330 ACE ™ in-line 3 cylinders, liquid-cooled with digital gas injection and digital throttle management
Displacement
1,330cc
Frame Type
Unspecified
Max Power
115 HP
Max Torque
96 LB-FT
6Can-Am Spyder RT
MSRP: $26,599
Brand Reliability: 42% Failed
Can-Am
If you are critical about your trike adventures, Can-Am’s final package deal comes beneath the Spyder RT badge. This model additionally has a number of fashions to select from: the RT, RT Limited, and the awkwardly named RT Sea-To-Sky.
This $32,999 model has every part that comes with the RT, plus extra comfy seats with lumbar assist, adjustable wind deflectors, and a ten.25-inch touchscreen with Apple CarPlay. You’re paying rather a lot for touring consolation, and security options, so remember that reliability ranking, and ask a variety of questions when strolling by the Can-Am showroom.
Safety Features
Bosch’s stability management
Anti-lock brakes
Traction management
Hill maintain management
Dynamic energy steering
Engine Specifications
Engine Type
Rotax® 1330 ACE™ in-line 3 cylinders, liquid-cooled with digital gas injection and digital throttle management
This is the place issues get slightly extra fascinating. Most trendy bikes have develop into pretty dependable. After all, they have been constructing bikes for over 100 years at this level. It’s no totally different in the case of manufacturers which have constructed up an unfair fame for being unreliable. Triumph, Royal Enfield and Ducati have all fallen sufferer to this ongoing fable.
Harley-Davidson isn’t any totally different. But with solely roughly 1 / 4 of their automobiles failing, and the model being larger on the reliability checklist than the likes of BMW and Can-Am, you possibly can say that Harley has come a good distance. Add to that, their favorable tow figures, putting them within the prime 5 of least towed manufacturers, and the American producer actually begins to look good. And that is terrific information for trike followers, as HD has three to choose from, beginning with the Freewheeler, which presents a journey that comes the closest to a conventional Harley cruiser and options loads of rider security aids as effectively.
Harley’s Road Glide 3 faithfully replicates the standard Road Glide from their steady, by including the huge batwing fairing to the entrance of the bike. So when you’re getting your trike to tour the nation, the Road Glide 3 is a extra applicable selection than the Freewheeler. It additionally makes use of the identical Milwaukee-Eight 114 engine, with equivalent efficiency specs, and has the same suite of security options, with a useful added bonus of a TPMS.
The Tri Glide Ultra is the final word Harley touring trike when you merely should carry one other individual with you. The seats are plush and cozy for each the rider and the passenger. It makes use of Harley’s 6-speed cruise drive transmission for a smoother freeway journey. There’s a bunch of large cockpit options like a really thorough infotainment system, audio system, a 6.5-inch display screen, and lots of others.
The security options are on par with the remainder of the trikes in Harley’s lineup, although the Tri Glide Ultra will likely be a way more comfy journey in the long term. Just keep in mind that though Harleys are much more dependable today, they’re still prone to having some gremlins from time to time.
Cornering Enhanced Traction Control System (C-TCS)
Engine Specifications
Engine Type
Twin-Cooled™ Milwaukee-Eight 114
Displacement
1,868cc
Frame Type
Unspecified
Max Power
Unspecified
Max Torque
121 LB-FT
2Polaris Slingshot S
MSRP: $21,999
(Victory) Brand Reliability: 17%
Polaris
Getting correct reliability rankings is a tough enterprise, as we have talked about earlier than. And although technically Polaris wasn’t included in both the Consumer Report or the Riders Share research, a few of the manufacturers they personal have been. Victory, a now-defunct Polaris model, had a 17% failure ranking, whereas Indian, additionally a part of Polaris, has a few of the least towed bikes.
The actual query is, nevertheless, whether or not these reliability figures translate to Polaris’s personal Slingshots. The uncomfortable reply is, we do not know presently. But, if its subsidiaries have been capable of construct dependable bikes, it stands to cause that the dad or mum firm has retained a few of that know-how.
The Slingshots themselves are unique 3-wheelers, technically categorized as bikes, although styled as car-type roadsters. And when you’re a possible Slingshot purchaser, keep in mind that motorbike classification, because it permits Polaris to skip security options which can be in any other case obligatory for automobile producers.
Safety Features
Anti-lock Braking System
Variable Speed Sensitive Electronic Power Steering 2.0
Team Blue has additionally current three extra electricity-powered idea bikes
1Yamaha Niken GT
UK MSRP: £16,210 (Around $20,650)
Brand Reliability: 11% Failed
Yamaha
It is unlucky that the one motorbike model that has the very best reliability ranking is not even promoting its trike within the US anymore. It’s as if all of us took a collective take a look at the Niken and stated, nope! Well, the joke’s on us, as Yamaha has confirmed to be some of the dependable motorbike makers on the market. It’s on the prime of the heap of the least failed bikes, as of 2015. And contemplating that the Niken is basically an MT-09 with some fancy front-end footwork, it is an actual disgrace that we by no means actually gave this bizarre goblin of a trike an opportunity to shine.
We’ve seen some rough Nissan Skylines, but this one might just be the worst. Found tucked into the back of an auction lot in Japan covered in rust, it’s clearly beyond saving. Yet, because GT-R prices have gone through the roof, there’s still value to be had despite the horrid condition.
Australia-based Motive Video on YouTube recently attended an auction in Japan specifically for cars in poor condition, like this R32-generation Nissan Skyline GT-R. Before heading in to start bidding, the channel briefly examined the car to see exactly how bad the damage was. The front and rear windscreens are missing, and there’s paint peeling on virtually every panel. At one point it seems tape was the only thing holding the trunk lid in place.
The worst part of this GT-R, though, is the rust. It’s fully overtaken the metal on the rear right quarter panel, and got bad enough to form holes in the rocker panels. Peeling paint and missing glass are fixable, but rust this bad? We’re confident the only place this chassis belongs is the junkyard.
The Motive folks thought it might be a good idea to bid on this GT-R thinking it’d go for cheap, making for a fun project car series for their channel. But they underestimated the value of the GT-R nameplate. The Motive crew placed a maximum bid of 1.8 million yen (about $12,000), but were outbid, with the maximum bid reaching 2.2 million yen (just under $15,000). Amazingly, the car didn’t meet its reserve of 2.7 million yen (over $18,000).
While that might sound like a ridiculous amount of money for a car destined for a scrap pile, it’s important to note that things like drivetrain, brakes, and wheels are extremely valuable. Not to mention body panels like the bumper that aren’t too damaged. We bet the right parts distributer could still make a profit if this car is parted out correctly.
After a challenging couple of years, the Macau Grand Prix is making a comeback. In recent years, the city circuit has seen limited action due to various circumstances, most notably the COVID-19 pandemic. However, with the easing of restrictions and the passing of time, the organizers have announced that the Grand Prix will be held again this November, marking its 70th anniversary.
Last year, the Macau GP took place, but with several notable names missing from the lineup. Riders like Peter Hickman and Michael Rutter couldn’t participate due to the still prevailing COVID-19 restrictions. However, this year, these riders and others, such as Davey Todd on the Burrows Engineering/RK Racing BMW, will be making their return.
In 2022, the 54th season of the GP saw the organization of seven races, including the Sands China Formula 4 Macau Grand Prix, Galaxy Entertainment Macau GT Cup, Wynn Macau Guia Race, MGM Macau Touring Car Cup, Melco Greater Bay Area GT Cup, SJM Macau Roadsport Challenge, and the Macau Motorcycle Grand Prix. Despite health and safety regulations being strictly enforced, the relaxed rulings this year may result in the Grand Prix returning in full swing for its 55th edition.
The schedule for this year’s Macau Grand Prix includes a free practice session on November 16, 2023, lasting 45 minutes. The following day, November 17, a qualifying session of the same duration will be held.
On race day, November 18, 2023, a 20-minute warm-up session will precede the main event: a 12-lap race. According to the organizers’ schedule, the motorcycle race will take place first on Saturday.
Thursday, November 16
07:45 a.m. to 08:30 a.m. – Free Practice
Friday, November 17
08:00 a.m. to 08:45 a.m. – Qualifying
Saturday, November 18
07:40 a.m. to 08:00 a.m. – Warm-up
08:30 a.m. – Macau Motorcycle Grand Prix Race (12 laps)
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