New Bikes 2010

NEW BIKES 2010

ROUNDUP

DESPITE THE ECONOMIC DOWNTURN, exciting new motorcycles will continue to roll onto dealers' showroom floors in 2010. One thing that is refreshing to see is the onward march of technology. Exciting new technical developments, creative new engine designs and the never-ending advancement of styling continues. Here's a look at the latest offerings from around the world.

YAMAHA

There are many updated models in Yamaha's 2010 model range, but none more eagerly anticipated than the YZ450F moto-crosser. Rumors about this innovative bike started early and escalated as an announcement to dealers approached. At the other end of the spectrum, Star’s new Stratoliner Deluxe bagger was a surprise, as the big cruiser managed to stay under the radar right up until the media unveiling. With the crossplane-crankshaft YZF-R1 only a year old, not much was expected on the sportbike front, but a Valentino Rossi-liveried version will surely be a popular seller.

YZ450F

Yamaha is the last of the Japanese Big Four to bring a fuel-injected, four-stroke 450cc motocrosser to market, so EFI on the YZ is no bombshell. But its rearward-facing fourvalve cylinder head (yes, the five-valver is no more) with the airbox, intake and 44mm Keihin throttle body residing in front of the engine and the exhaust passing out the back into a “tornado-style” header and then into the traditional silencer, surely is a shocker. The rearward-slanted cylinder (for improved mass centralization) is offset forward of the crank’s center so that the connecting rod is vertical as combustion begins, thus reducing friction and increasing power. A complete-

ly new chassis and updated suspension complete the package. The YZ is available in two color options, Team Yamaha blue ($7990) and an optional white/red scheme ($8090).

Star Stratoliner Deluxe

The cruiser market continues to change, with more buyers seeking the added practicality provided by saddlebags and touring windscreens. The “Casual Full Dress” segment, as Star calls it, makes up a sizeable chunk

of what is the largest category in motorcycle sales-cruisers still represent almost 50 percent of U.S. new-bike sales. The Deluxe (pictured above left) is based on the Stratoliner and powered by the same 1854cc (113cubic-inch) air-cooled V-Twin running pushrods, four valves per cylinder and fuel-injection. Long and low streamlined styling incorporates a fairing with a shorty windscreen, while contoured locking hard saddlebags provide enough storage for two-up weekenders. Hiding behind the fairing is an audio system with a handlebar-mounted control unit (iPod compatible, of course). Other styling features include 12-spoke wheels, a flangeless, teardrop fuel tank and internally routed switchgear wiring. The Stratoliner Deluxe will be available in January in a single Raven paint finish for $ 17,490.

TRIUMPH ROCKET

It’s easy to know where to start with the new Rocket Roadster: 15 percent more torque! Yep, this British bruiser’s 2294cc Triple gets bumped from the measly 147 foot-pounds of the standard Rocket III to a claimed 165 ft.-lb. Other changes on this 2010 model are stylingand comfort-oriented, with a taller, cushier seat and footpegs moved rearward and closer to the center of the bike to give a more standard-style riding position. Dual exhausts replace the trio of tailpipes of the standard Rocket, and plenty of parts were given the black-out treatment. ABS is standard, while the Rocket Touring gets ABS as an option in ’10. Bikes are expected at dealerships-in gloss or matte black-by March, but price had yet to be determined at presstime.

SUZUKI Naked Bandit 1250

Will American Suzuki import the naked Bandit 1250 (and a new fully faired version) that was unveiled to the public at the Bol d’Or 24-hour endurance race at the Magny-Cours Circuit in France? Suzuki was unable to comment as we went to press, but with the current economic crisis and typically poor sales of Japanese nakeds, we wouldn’t bet on it.

HONDA

Meanwhile, over at Honda, the year’s worst-kept secret, the VFR1200 V-Four, has yet to officially drop, though we do get a peek at its dual-clutch, semi-auto tranny (see “Double Clutched”). Bit of a surprise was the announcement that a commuter/light-weight sport-tourer, the NT700V, will be in the U.S. lineup for 2010. This has been sold for a decade in Europe as the Deauville, named after a resort town on France’s Normandy coast.

Its 680cc, liquid-cooled, sohc V-Twin will be familiar to U.S. riders as the same

basic powerplant that motivated Honda’s discontinued Trans-Alp and Pacific Coast models, an engine that over the years has gained a reputation as being practically unburstable.

“If the idea of whipping briskly across continents in the blink of an eye holds less appeal than comfortable cruising, excellent economy, unflappable reliability and ease of use, then step right up and meet the Honda Deauville, a friendly V-Twin mid-size tourer that’s ready for anything,” said our chums at England’s Motor Cycle News in their 2006 review.

A little parts swapping and prodigious use of gloss-black paint yields the Phantom, another iteration of Honda's Shadow 750 V-Twin cruiser. Suggested retail is $7999.

Honda

750 V-Twin

$7999

Base-model Honda NT700V, available in metallic red or metallic silver, is priced at $9999; an ABS model, available in metallic silver only, will go for $10,999.

Honda

NT700V

$9999

Double Clutched Honda’s dual-clutch transmission

Who needs dual clutches? They’ve made a splash in the automotive world, and this one from Honda is the first on two wheels. Dual clutches can be all things to all people-a manual-shift transmission for the sport-minded and an efficient automatic for the non-clutch-trained majority. Honda’s DN-01 was a stab in that

direction, but DCTs have what it takes to become mainstream, even with large engines.

Here’s how a DCT works: Imagine a conventional six-speed gear transmission, whose countershaft is split, each half having its own clutch. One clutch drives the left half of the shaft, which has first, third

and fifth gears on it, and the other clutch, through a concentric shaft, drives the right half with second, fourth and sixth gears on it. Each clutch can be engaged by hydraulic pressure via solenoid-controlled valves, and a stepper motor drives the shift drum.

To ride away, we engage first, and the clutch delivers torque

in the normal way. To engage second, the shift drum engages the gear, and the first/third/fifth clutch releases as the second/ fourth/sixth clutch engages.

At no time is drive to the rear wheel interrupted. Because there is no torque converter, there is no more driveline loss than in any manual gear transmission. A DCT can deliver either manual shift mode or automatic mode.

Kevin Cameron

DUCATI

Bike-makers worldwide are puttine the brakes on brandnew-from-the-axles-up models, instead keeping a firm grip on funding for R&D (assuming that column hasn’t been eliminated altogether from the company books) and using other means to pull potential buyers into dealerships. Ducati is no different in this regard, fitting the CW Ten Best Honorable Mention-winning Hypermotard with a smaller version of its capable air-cooled, sohc. 90-degree V-Twin. this one displacing 796cc. To further enhance appeal, seat height is said to be nearly an inch lower than the 33.3 inches of the bigger machine, this feat accomplished by reducing travel for both the fork and shock. Thanks to the lighter, slipper-clutch-equipped engine and updated trellis frame, the 2010 Hypermotard 796 is said to weigh just 368 pounds dry. It will be offered in matte black, matte black with white tank sides or red. Pricing as of this writing had not been announced.

KAWASAKI

Z1000

If at first you don’t succeed, try again. After a one-year absence from the lineup, Kawasaki’s Z1000 hooligan bike returns new-from-the-ground-up, with a larger-displacement,

1043cc inline-Four replacing the previous model’s 953cc engine. Sales of naked bikes in the U.S. have proven to be fickle at best. Poor sales in that segment-except for a few European models-have kept some really cool bikes from surviving here. But Kawi thinks this new Z1000 with its sharp, predatory, semi-naked styling offers just the combination that buyers in the market for a big-bore sportbike with everyday practicality are seeking.

Concours 14

For two years running, the Concours 14 has won Cycle World's Ten Best award for Best Sport-Tourer, but that didn’t stop Kawasaki from significantly updating the bike. Already a technological tour-de-force, the 14 now features Kawasaki Traction Control (a Kawi first) and K-ACT II, the company’s selectable, sport-oriented coactive ABS system. New touring amenities include heated grips, improved wind protection and relocated mirrors in addition to a more informative dash.

CAN-AM

The Can-Am Spyder RT Roadster touring three-wheeler joins the sportier Spyder RS in the lineup this year. Key features are the saddlebags and top trunk, while engine tune for the 60-degree, 998cc V-Twin is altered to more suit the touring intent of the machine, resulting in 100 horsepower and 80 foot-pounds of torque (RS output is 106/77). Many accessories-including a $1200 Garmin GPS-are available, but perhaps the most impressive is the $4500 trailer and hitch, designed to be compatible with the Vehicle Stability System, a Bosch setup that includes anti-lock brakes, traction control and stability control. Prices start at $20,999 for the base RT and run up to $24,999 for the lop-of-the-line RT-S.