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--- transportation:motorcycles [2026/09/13 19:31] – [Cruiser] timb
+++ transportation:motorcycles [2026/11/05 01:40] (current) – [Yamaha RW700] timb
@@ Line 168: / Line 168: @@
 https://www.topspeed.com/best-cruiser-for-riding-80-mph-all-day/
+==== Sprint 440 ====
+== Harley-Davidson’s Cheap Motorcycle Is Finally Here, And It’s A Stunner For Only $5,999 ==
+Mercedes Streeter - November 2, 2026 12:37 pm
+Harley-Davidson is on another path of reinvention. The Motor Company has once again realized that selling only expensive motorcycles isn’t a great long-term strategy. Like many bike makers, it has decided to bring a truly affordable motorcycle to market. This is the 2027 Harley-Davidson Sprint 440, and it’s quite the stunner despite its attainable $5,999 price tag.
+Younger buyers have been gravitating towards smaller, more affordable machines. Electric dirt bikes are practically flying out of distributors, and those people who aren’t buying one of those might be found riding a Royal Enfield or a smaller Honda. We’ve seen the likes of Triumph, Kawasaki, KTM, and LiveWire respond to this shift by going smaller, while Royal Enfield doubled down on its existing strategy. But one brand has largely stayed out of this segment, and it’s Harley-Davidson. For a while, the cheapest Harley has been the $9,999 Nightster, which is only cheap by Harley standards. But now, Harley-Davidson finally has the answer to what an affordable bike from the Bar and Shield looks like.
+https://www.theautopian.com/harley-davidsons-cheap-motorcycle-is-finally-here-and-its-a-stunner-for-only-5999/
@@ Line 419: / Line 435: @@
 ===== Royal Enfield =====
+==== Royal Enfield Diesel  ====
+== The First Production Diesel Motorcycle In The World Got A Whopping 202 MPG, Then Everyone Forgot About It ==
+Mercedes Streeter - October 15, 2026 2:08 pm
+One of the seemingly perpetually cursed projects is the diesel motorcycle. There have been many attempts to make diesel power mainstream on two wheels, and most ventures have failed. If any country has come the closest to making diesel motorcycles go mainstream, it’s India. The Royal Enfield Diesel was the world’s only true mass-market diesel motorcycle, but it wasn’t the nation’s only effort. This is the Sooraj 325 Diesel, the motorcycle that, so far as I can tell, is likely the world’s first production diesel motorcycle. It got a whopping 202 mpg, then eventually, everyone forgot about it.
+I have spent a substantial portion of my time as an auto writer studying production diesel motorcycles. As a diesel nut, I find the premise fascinating. The common diesel engine is heavy and bulky, on top of revving slowly with a low redline. In theory, these are all of the traits that you don’t want to have in a motorcycle engine. Generally, the primary benefit of going diesel is fuel economy, but small gasoline engines can score well over 100 mpg quite easily.
+https://www.theautopian.com/the-first-production-diesel-motorcycle-in-the-world-got-a-whopping-202-mpg-then-everyone-forgot-about-it/
 ==== Royal Enfield Himalayan 450  ====
@@ Line 505: / Line 538: @@
 https://www.rideapart.com/features/800776/yamaha-pg1-japan-abs-why-not-bring-it-to-the-us/
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 https://newatlas.com/motorcycles/2026-yamaha-yzf-r7-review/
+==== Yamaha RW700 ====
+== [EICMA2026] Yamaha's new "RW700" unveiled for the first time in the world! An "adventure scooter" with the MT-07 series 689cc engine and Y-AMT, plus electric "NMAX E" and "XENTER E" ==
+Editor's Recommendation - 3 November 2026
+Yamaha Motor Europe, the European subsidiary of Yamaha Motor, held a press premiere titled "Redefine the Standard" in Milan, Italy, on the eve of EICMA 2026 (Milan Show) on November 2, 2026 (local time), where it unveiled the new "RW700" and its higher-spec version, the "RW700 Explore," for the first time in the world. It is an "adventure scooter" that combines the 689cc parallel-twin "CP2" engine found in the MT-07 and other models with the "Y-AMT" automated transmission system, which Yamaha touts as "the world's most high-performance and powerful adventure scooter." The maximum output is 51kW (69.3PS), and the curb weight is 221kg. The electric scooters "NMAX E" and "XENTER E" were also announced, with both priced at 7,799 euros (approx. 1.38 million yen) in Germany. The price of the RW700 series has not been announced.
+https://japan.webike.net/moto_news/eicma2026-yamahas-new-rw700-unveiled-for-the-first-time-in-the-world-an-adventure-scooter-with-the-mt-07-series-689cc-engine-and-y-amt-plus-electric-nmax-e-and-xenter-e/
+===== Zero =====
+==== Project Zero ====
+== Zero Motorcycles unveils $8K electric motorcycle, street-legal dirt bike, and much more ==
+Micah Toll - Nov 3 2026 7:30 am PT
+Zero Motorcycles is celebrating its 20th anniversary with a major wave of announcements at EICMA 2026, unveiling several new electric two-wheelers alongside some important technology upgrades that could make its existing motorcycles even more appealing.
+The biggest news is an entirely new lightweight electric street motorcycle known as Project Ventura, designed to bridge the gap between the increasingly popular world of electric bikes plus lightweight e-motos and the full-size electric motorcycle market. But that’s far from the only news coming out of Zero’s booth in Milan.
+The electric motorcycle maker is also announcing a new street-legal version of its XE electric dirt bike that was previously only street-legal in Europe, introducing its LS3 electric scooter to Europe, introducing a redesigned smartphone app, and sharing more details about its upcoming DC fast-charging system.
+There’s quite a bit to unpack here, so let’s get into it.
+https://electrek.co/2026/11/03/zero-motorcycles-unveils-8k-electric-motorcycle-street-legal-dirt-bike-and-much-more/
@@ Line 1108: / Line 1175: @@
 https://www.hotcars.com/175-hp-american-cruiser-coming-for-every-harley-davidson/
+== Cheap Chinese V-twin cruiser gets adaptive air suspension ==
+Utkarsh Sood - September 21, 2026
+Cruisers are probably the first motorcycle most people get to know early on their riding journeys. Think back to the old-school Harley-Davidsons and Indians from decades past, and you’ll recall relatively simple machines built around a big engine, a low seat, a long wheelbase, and not much else getting in the way of the ride. That simplicity was part of the appeal.
+Cruisers were never really about chasing lap times or packing in as much technology as possible. They were about kicking back, stretching your legs out, listening to a big V-twin thump away beneath you, and pretending you had nowhere else to be.
+Which is why I find it slightly amusing that Benda has decided its latest V-twin cruiser needs adaptive air suspension. The word "adaptive" in there is perhaps more important than anything else, because we’ve seen the likes of Harley-Davidson and Indian cruisers come with conventional air-suspension hardware. To have an electronically controlled, load/ride-height-adjusting system puts it in a very selective class.
+The bike’s called Rock 707, and in design terms, it is a fairly conventional-looking cruiser at first glance. That familiar low-slung stance, a V-twin engine, and enough chrome and blacked-out hardware to satisfy the traditionalists.
+https://newatlas.com/motorcycles/benda-rock-707/
@@ Line 1165: / Line 1247: @@
+===== Thumper =====
+== Why Motorcycles With Single-Cylinder Engines Are Called 'Thumpers' (It's Not Because Of Bambi) ==
+Michael Frank - Sept. 12, 2026 11:05 am EST
+You can be forgiven if you have no clue what or who the Thumper character was from the original "Bambi" Disney film from 1942. TLDR: Thumper was a bunny rabbit and Bambi's pal. The thumpers in question for this story, however, are single-cylinder motorcycles. That vernacular is based on the term's onomatopoeic quality. Just saying thump-thump-thump echoes the noise that a single-cylinder engine makes. The bikes are often beloved for that sound — although some dislike single cylinders for that same reason, as well as because thumpers tend to vibrate more than multi-cylinder bikes. And there are a few reasons for this that we'll dig into further below.
+However, there are also various advantages to singles. For one, they tend to be affordable. Caveat: If they're the world's most powerful single-cylinder engine made by Ducati, they won't necessarily be cheap.
+But, in general, thumpers are cheaper because they require fewer parts on the initial build — and, therefore, there fewer parts to maintain and replace. Singles have one cylinder, a single valve train, one exhaust system, and a single carburetor (if they're fuel-injected, that's only a single injector). They also tend to be smaller in displacement and lighter, which makes singles ideal for off-roading, when balancing a heavier bike is harder.
+Read More: https://www.jalopnik.com/2254175/why-single-cylinder-engine-motorcycles-nickname-thumpers/
@@ Line 1234: / Line 1334: @@
 Read More: https://www.jalopnik.com/1922177/motorcycle-boot-buyers-guide/
+===== Helmet =====
+== This AR motorcycle helmet could make your GPS obsolete ==
+Utkarsh Sood - November 02, 2026
+I’ve covered a few AR helmets here before. And almost every time, I’ve seen someone comment: "Do we really need any more distractions on a motorcycle?" Swiss company Aegis Rider certainly doesn’t seem to think that way.
+It’s just launched the Vision helmet, which combines the features of a head-up display. But instead of it being incorporated in the visor of the helmet as was the case with the Shoei x Eyelights AR helmet, it comes via a pair of drop-down glasses behind the visor.
+Aegis Rider’s problem statement is something we’ve heard before, and that is motorcyclists having to look down to see any information, taking their eyes off the road. "Every glance down is a fraction of a second without the road," says the company. "Speedometer, navigation, the phone on the bars: each one takes your eyes off the road for a moment, and on a motorcycle those moments matter more than in a car."
+https://newatlas.com/motorcycles/aegis-rider-ar-helmet/