Cult of Dualsport

Suzuki GS850 Dualsport

Is this an 850? A friend of mine had one in college, and I rode it occasionally. But it looked nothing like this. The owner put Kenda 761 dualsport tires on it and says they work great.

KTM 990 Adventure R "Best Dual Sport" of 2010

According to CycleWorld, the 990 Adventure R is the best dual sport of 2010. Thanks, guys. I caught flak for the admission that I was in love with the KTM 950 Super Enduro R, and now an even bigger bike is the best of the year. Hopefully I won't catch any grief from my WIFE over my new affair.

Something is going on here. For the third year in a row, our choice for Best Dual-Sport offers greater displacement than the bike that preceded it. In 2007, it was KTM's 525 EXC, then the 690 Enduro in 2008. In 2009, it was BMW's F800GS, and now we have KTM's 990 Adventure R taking the prize. What makes the R such a worthy recipient is how much it feels like a "real" enduro, despite its 490-pound dry weight. Key is the suspension—which offers 10.5 inches of travel at both ends—and a chassis that somehow allows this machine to turn and handle like a real dirtbike should. But it's equally adept on the road, with its controllable 96.2-hp V-Twin ripping up the asphalt as well as it does a rocky trail.

 

Roost: Motorcycle Misadventures.

The Zero for 2010

I love using the word "zero". It enables me to say something about nothing, and I'm pretty good at that. I learned the skill back in college, in the English classes which required me to write very long answers to very complicated questions about characters and plot and structure, etc.

Unfortunately, acquiring that skill made me a worse creative writer and it has taken me many years to recover. Oh, well. Now, about the Zero. Back in March, which must have been during my hiatus:

Zero Motorcycles, the global leader in the electric motorcycle industry, announced today the debut of its 2010 Zero DS electric motorcycle. This highly versatile dual sport now has more power, increased acceleration, and enhanced power pack technology. Continuing the innovation that they are known for, Zero has integrated its newly developed Z-Force Air Induction System into the Zero DS to enable greater performance both on and off-road.

 

Unfortunately, the range of the bike is still just 50 miles. With the addition of nanotube electrodes, as explained over at Gizmag, the lithium batteries would last a lot longer. Just as unfortunate is the fact that such batteries don't really exist yet.

Roost: Ultimate Motorcycling, which used the above photo and put their own watermark on it. At first, I thought, gee, those UM guys take great photos! Then I found the exact same picture on the Zero web site with no watermark which is the one I used here.

Tires from Amazon?

The Pirelli MT 90 -- an 80% street tire, and not for me -- is the best selling dualsport tire from Amazon.com. The 80/90S-21is $57.99, while over at Tires Unlimited the same one is $69.15.

When did this happen? Tires from Amazon? It must have been during my recent hiatus. Also available are IRC, Bridgestone, Dunlop and Continental.

Sorry, nothing from Kenda, Cheng Shin, Maxxis, Michelin or Metzeler.

Where do you shop for tires?

MotoUSA 2010 Dual Sport Comparison

Results aren't available, but Motorcycle USA says they're testing four bikes. No update since June 25.

So we’ve collected four reasonably priced dual-sports from the Big Four Japanese companies. Honda has provided its $4999 CRF230L (learn more about it in the 2008 Honda CRF230L First Ride). Kawasaki is represented by its identically priced KLX250S (read about it in the 2009 Kawasaki KLX250S First Ride). Suzuki has its $4199 DR200SE. Lastly representing the upscale market is Yamaha’s $6390 WR250R.

Report: Liquid armor better than Kevlar

Similar to -- or maybe the same as, I don't know -- the d3o armor I mentioned yesterday, this "bulletproof custard" consists of nanoparticles suspended in a liquid

Liquid armor has been shown to stop bullets more effectively than plain Kevlar, according to British firm BAE Systems. The material could be used to make thinner, lighter armor for military personnel and police officers, the BBC reports.

This nanotechnology stuff is getting cooler all the time.

Roost: Instapundit.

d3o armor in Klim Adventure Rally Gear

Awhile back I was salivating over a pair of Klim offroad pants. Today I found the d3o Labs site.

d3o is an Intelligent Shock Absorbing material containing intelligent molecules that flow freely when moving slowly, but on shock lock together to absorb impact energy.

Check their FAQ page for more, and their product page where I saw the new Klim Adventure Rally Gear.

The team at Klim have spent the last 2 years developing the Adventure Rally Gear, which is possibly one of the most technically advanced products now on the market. Technical features include GORE-TEX fabrics including high performance GORE-TEX® SUPERFABRIC®, & LOCK-OUT™ closures; a fully integrated harness system; heat / abrasion resistant leather pannels in key locations; fully waterproof neck brace compatible collar; an integrated water baldder system and high capacity storage system. Last but by no means least is the inclusion of d3o™ intelligent shock absorption to the elbows, hips, knees, shoulders and back. All these features and the passion put into their making means this is truly phenomenal adventure riding gear.

Now this is a worthy addition to my armor research page.

Roost: Gizmag.

You are Iron Man ... or you could be if you wore this 'vastly more portable' suit!

My wife says she doesn't like Safeway. Maybe she'd like it better if she wore this. And maybe I could look like Iron Man if I wore this. Come to think of it, we could shop at Safeway together as The Iron Couple.

Seriously, though, I found this when reviewing my article on body armor -- which I'd like to update sometime soon. This product will not be featured, no matter what Universal Designs says:

Make no mistake, this is not a costume. As a ‘replica’ of what IRON MAN™ ‘wears’ this motorcycle suit has been brought to life with real world function and use…all the while paying tribute to the IRON MAN™ suit as seen on the big screen in all it’s glory.

For $1100, you too can wear this suit. If you dare. See ya at Safeway, dude!

Roost: Geekologie.

Meth addict seeks motorcycle?

I don't even know what to say. How can a post like this get 10 comments? Maybe all 10 are by the same person.

Father-daughter dual sport ride

This is awesome. One of the photos was taken here. I lived in Victorville, CA, as a kid and used to camp in Kings Canyon National Park. I'd love to ride there someday.

Roost: Pashnit forum.