Here’s the latest MC news for this year

MC: The metal stallion was chained to a trough in the garage for months. Dark and cold. Maybe it’s bright and warm, if you can bear it in these inflationary times.

Your fingers were already tingling the next day after you parked the car in the winter. Loss of suction in the stomach when proper throttle is used. A tickle in your ear canals as you let the exhaust play its highest note. Or the feeling of relaxing riding in your usual lap, knowing the next few hours are just for you, the motorcycle, and the packed road.

The winding roads of beautiful Norwegian nature beckon more and more as the plus scale approaches and the snow disappears from the roads. If you are looking for a new two-wheeled companion for exploring Norwegian roads, this is the article for you: Here are the coolest innovations in the motorcycle world for 2023.

Exclusive Speed ​​Monster

The most expensive news of the year is Ducati’s latest race bike: the Ducati Panigale V4 R. The flagship is priced at just over NOK 530,000, but by contrast there has never been a road-ready motorcycle that has been closer to the performance of a competition bike.

The heart of the Panigale V4 R engine is the new Desmosedici Stradale R engine, which has a maximum speed of 16,500 revs and delivers 218 hp. However, if the engine is going to reach its full potential, it must fit a racing exhaust from Akrapovič, which produces 237 horsepower. Another 3.5 horsepower can be squeezed out of the dong if you let it squish Ducati’s engine oil. Then the maximum output ends at 240.5 hp.

240 gamps spread over 188.5kg means top speed is estimated at a full 335kph and 0-100 is done in 2.8 seconds, but Ducati hasn’t come up with any official numbers yet. Whether they will reach the Moto GP standard where 300 kilometers per hour is reached in just 9.7 seconds.

The BMW M 1000 RR has been outfitted in carbon from head to toe. Image: BMW

German carbon masterpiece

Next on the list is the BMW M 1000 RR which, despite its roughly NOK 480,000 price tag, is no match for its Italian classmate. The numbers show that Ducati offers breadth in terms of performance.

As it is known in the automotive world, the M in front of the model name means strength in the buckets, buckets, rocker arm, details and wings in feather-light carbon.

The engine has the same power as before, but after countless hours in the wind tunnel and a new fairing design, the aerodynamics have been greatly improved.

According to the manufacturer, top speed should now be 314 kilometers per hour compared to 306 kilometers per hour in the previous model, thanks in large part to the aforementioned carbon suit cover. Here too, as with Ducati’s speed demon, you get carbon wings that provide 22 kilograms more ground pressure when you’re driving at 300kph or more. Which means very rarely.

– a masterpiece of engineering thanks to lofty ambitions, passion and technical prowess, says Christian Günchor, project manager for work on the model. Quite objective of course.

The engine produces 212 horsepower and 0-100 should disappear in 3 seconds.

The Yamaha Tracer 9 GT + will probably become a real bestseller. Photo: Yamaha

Hi-tech entry-level model

Which Yamaha sport toured this year’s worst motorcycle news list, you might be asking yourself. Well, it’s not so much about engine performance and handling – although this is also flawless – no, it’s about technology.

And this is where the uneducated suffer – how well should you manage yourself, how much should you leave to computers? Little beats the feeling of surrender when cornering, thus lifting the front wheel a few tens of centimeters off the ground. Should one let the computer take over the forces and lower the front wheel back to the ground, or let expertise do the work?

The Yamaha Tracer 9 GT+ does the job. The heart of this touring bike is among the fiercest on the market. Here you get ABS, cruise control, anti-skid, anti-bike and a quick up and down toggle, but in addition to that, you now have a sensor on the front of the bike that measures the distance to the vehicle in front of you.

What does it give? Yes, adaptive cruise control. You might say “I will drive actively.” Yes, but on long shift stages on the motorway and at averages that make overtaking impossible, it is certainly not to be despised.

If the goal is to ride far and fast, the Yamaha Tracer 9 GT+ might be the choice. Photo: Yamaha

Not only that—the sensor also helps in extreme situations where Yamaha notices that you’re not braking enough to stop before the obstacle ahead. If you brake with only the front brake, the motorcycle itself will apply the rear brake, and if you don’t brake hard enough, it will automatically brake to provide maximum stopping power. Yamaha thinks safely – the question is how much braking is involved during normal driving. A test drive indicates that Yamaha’s solution in its latest Tracer is top-notch.

It looks like the Japanese sport utility truck could become a bestseller in a segment that caters well to those of us who’ve been riding massive R-bikes and naked bikes for a few years – and still want speed and agility in tight corners – but who can also appreciate comfort, luggage and the potential to drive longer trips without having to stop at increasingly shorter intervals the longer the journey.

Price of Yamaha’s flagship sport touring car: NOK 230,000.

The Suzuki GSX1000 GT + is versatile and can be used for long trips and active driving. Photo: Suzuki

Grand Tourer with a capital of G

Suzuki has fallen behind its competitors in recent years when it comes to innovation and development. They were slow with TFT screens and introduced new models with hopelessly outdated yellow headlights that made the immediate impression somewhat backwards.

Now, however, the Japanese have come up with the new Suzuki GSX S1000 GT + grand tourer, which impresses quite a lot from a technological and performance point of view. But is it really new?

Under the plastic covers you’ll find the same old K5 engine that Suzuki used in its GSX models back in 2005. An 18-year-old engine in a brand new motorcycle. Can it work? definitely.

The K5’s engine with stronger downforce and more torque is now tuned to better suit road driving with passengers and luggage. Easy to drive, sporty and high-tech, the GSX S1000 GT+ is simply a good compromise between three different areas of use: short drives to and from work, Sunday rides on winding, high-revving roads and comfort for proper long trips.

The new GT+ model is equipped with a load of tech aids, such as ABS, anti-wheelie, quick shifter in both directions and low-rev assist. Collectively, the systems provide a very good starting point for a safe and comfortable journey.

You can also connect to your phone and access a variety of apps. The screen displays contacts, calendar, music, and perhaps most relevant to our long-distance readers: maps.

The GT+’s predecessor, the GT, also came in second in RevZilla’s Daily Rider’s 2022 ranking. Pricing matches Yamaha’s Tracer 9 GT+ at NOK 230,000.

Ducati Diavel 1260S attracts attention with its appearance and sound. Photo: Ducati

voracious animals

The legendary Ducati Diavel has been around since 2011 and the roaring Testastretta L-twin engine was a huge asset on the Diavel, Monster and many other models.

In 2023, the streak is broken. And in the same way that the noisy and gasoline-hungry V8 engines are being cut off one by one, Ducati will also not continue producing its L-twin engines in the Diavel. The Ducati Diavel 1260S comes with a Ducati V4 Granturismo engine – “power meets smoothness”, as the Italians themselves call the heart of the Diavel.

The newly developed four-cylinder engine has a displacement of 1,158 cubic meters and produces 168 horsepower and 126 Nm of torque. Most notable is the exhaust, which now looks like something straight out of Mad Max with four machine-gun-like exhaust tips.

“This is the ideal engine for a muscular cruiser: it combines linear power distribution at low revs with active torque throughout the entire rev range,” Ducati itself writes about its latest Diavel. They confirm that the model is suitable for both drivers who love speed, but want a more relaxed seating position, for the urban driver.

Speaking of speed: you get that in buckets and buckets. With Ducati’s Launch Control and bike control, the Diavelen will do 0 to 100 in just 2.7 seconds. The Italians also offered the option of semi-rigid side bags totaling 48 liters, rear passenger seats and a windshield.

The price of the beauty starts at NOK 300,000. With additional equipment, it comes to around NOK 360,000.

The Triumph Rocket 3 feels heavy, but it’s surprisingly easy to steer. Photo: Triumph

Triumph Rocket 3 GT

The world’s largest motorcycle engine is the British Triumph that can boast of.

Triumph Rocket 3 has been given a new look, under the covers has also been renewed and is light years ahead of the previous model – which the Americans called the Triumph Rocket III – especially in terms of maneuverability.

The 2023 version comes in both GT and R versions, and in both models you have a ferocious 2.5-liter engine between your legs. This is twice the weight of a regular petrol Volkswagen Polo – and only a third of the weight.

The latest generation of the Rocket 3 R delivers a whopping 221 Nm of torque – 75 per cent more than this year’s version of the Ducati Diavel – and as the name suggests: like a rocket. From standstill to 100 kilometers per hour, like its Italian competitor, it takes 2.7 seconds.

You’d think a 240mm-wide rear tire would be able to provide enough grip to keep the speed beast on two wheels, but back then it wasn’t. Once you turn the traction control off, you’ll notice the wheel spins in both first, second, and even third gear—unlike the Ducati Diavel.

The big engine naturally also means a lot of weight and a lot of lug around the corners, but despite around 300kg the bike is easier to maneuver than it should be, given the weight and thick wheels.

The GT version is priced around NOK 360,000 and comes with cruise control, keyless ignition, heaters and even hill start assist as standard – which comes in handy when you’re cruising around on a motorcycle that weighs 100kg more than we’re used to. to.

The downside of the Rocket 3: a high rear wheel budget.

However, if you can afford the extra expense, all you have to do is turn your nose up at the wide-open roads of the country with a monster three-cylinder motorcycle between your legs, and prepare yourself for a turn of looks of envy and appreciation from other motorcyclists.

This article was first published in Finansavisen engine.