2005 New Model Preview

Suzuki's stunning success for the past couple of years with their Burgman "Big Scooters" has revitalized interest from all the other manufacturers, so let's start this year's summary with a quick alphabetical look at the automatic brigade.

Aprilia hopes to add the 250 Scarabeo and 50 Mojito to its line-up, which already includes 500 and 50 cc versions of the Scarabeo. The Mojito is a fashionable little two-stroke, the others are four-strokes. Currently they're stuck in the Transport Canada approval process, so arrival dates aren't certain.

West coast-based Crono Motorcraft has a number of new entries from Korea, Taiwan, and Spain. The Korean Daelim is represented by the 250 Wing Road, plus a 50 cc model. There are also two 125 cc motorcycles in standard and cruiser configuration using the Roadwin name (admittedly, not scooters, these two).

Crono is offering two Derbi (Spain) 50 cc machines. The GP1 is a real scooter, while the GPR50 is a wild-looking 50 cc sport bike built around the same mechanicals, but with 17-inch wheels, USD forks and a radial brake caliper.

Also from the house of Crono, Hyosung (Korea) offers 50 and 150 cc models. Confusingly, they were imported last year under the Kasea name. And lastly, Crono is bringing in the Sym from Taiwan, which is an unabashed copy of a Honda Jazz (apparently with Honda's blessing).

Honda has two additions this year. The big Silver Wing 600 finally arrives - Honda Canada hoped to have it for '04 but life conspired otherwise. At 582 cc, this guy is the nearest competitor yet to Suzuki's 650 Burgman, with a plush seat, tons of power, the usual techno tricks like fuel injection and "automatic" no-shift V-belt drive, plus anti-lock brakes as standard equipment - a first in the scooter market.

Looking like it's from another planet, the Ruckus 250 is Honda's new entry in the mid-size group, something that should prove popular with those who don't want to scoot coast to coast but need something more than a 50 km/h top speed for downtown. A liquid-cooled four-stroke engine should provide plenty of power. Like the 50 cc Ruckus, the 250 has eye-popping urban fighter looks, an adjustable seat, and considerable cargo capacity.

Over at Suzuki the 650 and 400 Burgmans continue, with a "Type S" version of the 400 added. Basically it's the standard machine with a special red paint job and a different handlebar treatment.

Finally, over at Yamaha the relatively new (even in Europe and Japan) 400 cc Majesty has appeared. Compared to the Burgman 400, the Majesty is a bit larger (especially at the rear, for more luggage space) and is geared longer for the highway, with a top speed approaching 150 km/h. Priced the same as the Burgman, it should be an interesting battle.

And finally, to celebrate Pascal Picotte's second year of domination in Canadian road racing, there's a BWs with a Pascal Picotte "Joker's Head" paint job. Kind of a cool idea, even if it's unlikely to be able to keep up with Pascal's pit bike.

Aprilia continues with the under-rated CapoNord, an excellent adventure tourer. While not strictly new, this will be the first year it's reasonably readily available. A couple of the sport bikes (including the RSV Mille) should also be available, as ever, pending Transport Canada approvals.

BMW shocked the Intermot show in Germany with a naked version of its spectacular new K1200S sport machine. Using basically all the same kit but without fairing and with a more upright riding position plus other detail changes, the K1200R is even more of a shocker than the K1200S was. Both bikes are scheduled for late spring arrival in Canada.

And two more bikes, these in the Boxer fold, were released to the public just before Christmas. The new R1200RT replaces, well, the R1150RT, while the R1200ST seems to be replacing the R1150RS. Both are based on the engine and chassis platform developed for the R1200GS last year; as such, they are lighter, more powerful, and have considerably improved suspension. And the looks are very new to BMW; quite hard-edged and angular.

Over at Buell, the wicked new City-X (say "city cross", Buell tells us) is basically an XB9S (which is now history) with some wild appearance stuff, including a translucent "fuel" tank (the fuel is actually in the frame, remember) and some other bits for an even tougher street fighter look.

Ducati, delighted with the reception of its cross-over Multistrada, has introduced two new versions. The first is, in typical Duck fashion, a higher-performance edition of the 1000, with more power, Ohlins suspension, and the like. At the other end of the spectrum, they've gone and done a V-Strom by introducing a 620 Multistrada with the baby Monster engine, much as Suzuki followed the 1,000 cc 'Strom with the 650.

Speaking of Monsters, there's now an S2R with the air-cooled 803 cc SS engine. At the sharp end of the scale, the 749 and 999 both get the usual race track-bred Ducati performance and appearance tweaks.

No changes at Harley, really. There's the Sportster 883L, with an ultra-low 26-inch seat height and relocated footpegs and controls to match, but other than that cosmetic variations are the only changes.

Over at Honda, the biggest non-scooter news is the highly-revised CBR600RR. There's less weight, a bit more power, and considerable aerodynamic and styling work for a look more like the RCV Moto GP bikes. Upside-down forks and radial calipers help keep it up with the others in the class.

On the cruiser side of the classroom, we have the new VTX1800F, a "sport custom" version of Honda's biggest V-twin. Seats, fenders, bars and wheels create quite a different look and feel.

Like Honda, Kawasaki's biggest performance news for 2005 is in the 600 class. Well, also the 636 class, which Kawasaki pretty much invented. The ZX-6R (confusingly, the 636 cc bike) and the ZX-6RR (the 600 cc racer) share pretty much identical ZX-10-looking upgrades in a highly revised chassis and engine plus radical new looks and an underseat exhaust - heavier, says Kawasaki, but better aeros for the track and anyway they saved the weight elsewhere. Gearboxes have also been considerably massaged, with both bikes getting a slipper clutch.

In a slightly more sensible attack on the senses, last year's new Z750 returns in two versions; the original hooligan look plus a half-faired bike obviously intended to be a bit more comfortable for the long haul.

And for the cruiser crowd, the Nomad gets a version of the bigger 1,600 cc fuel-injected engine from the 1600 Classic bike, plus a backrest and hand-holds for the passenger.

KTM, strictly speaking, doesn't have any new street models for 2005. However, they have announced the 2006 Super Duke 990 and the 950 Supermotard models, the plan being to have them in Canada next summer as early releases. The Super Duke uses a bigger (999 cc) version of the Adventure motor, and adds fuel injection plus trick White Power suspension. The Supermotard could almost be considered a stripped-down 950 Adventure with 17-inch wheels and fancy brakes.

Suzuki has done a radical revamp on its GSX-R1000 with a slightly bigger but much-modified motor, radically smaller frame, and new clutch and transmission. Visually, the bike's most outstanding feature is the big oddly-shaped muffler, designed that way for clearance and aerodynamics, they say.

The Hamamatsu firm is the first of the big companies to jump into the supermotard field in North America with a wicked-looking beast based on the DR-Z400. Supersport size wheels and tires (17 inches) plus big brakes and a frame modified for road stability, all combined with the already wild DR-Z400 engine, should make this an easy choice for hooligan riders.

And in a surprise move, Suzuki has revised the Bandit 600 into the Bandit 650 via bigger cylinder bores. Then they added an adjustable seat and handlebar to make the ergos tunable to the rider. Clever idea, really; bet we'll see more of that soon.

Oh, all the cruisers look a bit different - they're now called Boulevards with different alpha-numeric additions for the various types, but they're basically the same as last year's with some cosmetic changes. The one exception to that is the venerable 800 Marauder - now the Boulevard M50 - which converts itself into a shaft-drive bike, plus adds fuel injection (EFI is also now used on the former Volusia/now C50, and the 1500 Intruder/C90).

Triumph has introduced radical new Speed Triple and Sprint ST models with wild looks and a shared 1,050 cc triple that reportedly has very little in common with the existing 955 cc engines. The Daytona 600 is now the Daytona 650 (idea from Kawasaki's 636, perhaps?), which should make it a stronger mid-range performer. And as expected, versions of the 865 cc twin fitted to the sport Thruxton are migrating through the line, with the Bonneville T100 and Speedmaster both getting the bore job, albeit with different states of tune for each.

Smaller changes to the popular Tiger model basically stiffen up the suspension and replace the wire wheels with cast to shift its emphasis a bit more street-ward.

Victory seems to be on the right track, with gorgeous styling (helped by consultant Arlen Ness), and much-improved mechanicals as well. The new 100 cubic inch (1,634 cc) engine is getting great reviews, and to the wild-looking Hammer model it provides quite a visual and performance kick. There's also the 8-Ball, a blacked-out version of the Vegas, using the earlier 1,507 cc engine.

Yamaha has made considerably mods to the R6, adding horsepower due to EFI, cam, and electronic tricks. Male-slide forks and radial calipers are new fitted, as are a bigger front tire and bigger brakes. Initial reports are raving over the result.

On the touring/cruiser side, the Royal Star line grows again with the Tour Deluxe. This one's special trick is a windscreen and luggage that can be popped on and off the bike in seconds.

And, since we don't get to see the wicked new MT-01 for at least another year, there's going to be - wait for it - a 20th anniversary edition of the mighty V-Max. Amazing, isn't it? It's taken two decades for the rest of the world to catch up with Mr. Max's bad boy attitude. No mechanical tricks, just a fancy flamed paint scheme with black rims and a numbered plaque on the tank.

By and large, these machines feature raked-out front ends, hard tails at the rear, and big honkin' V-twin motors (usually from S&S), so there's a definite performance aspect to the machines as well. Beyond that, the permutations of shape, design, colour, graphics, and accessories is literally limitless, with absolutely breath-taking paint and finishes the norm.

Something that the current crop mostly feature is Transport Canada VIN numbers and approval stickers, so you can actually license and insure the bikes for Canadian roads. Cranked Customs, for example, out of Port Perry, is a dealer for Ultra, Hellbound, and Nasty Boy bikes, all of which you can have built up in your taste of shapes, colours, engines, and finishes with no question about getting it legal for the road on delivery.

Several manufacturers - including a growing number Canadian importers & builders - will be exhibiting at this year's SUPERSHOW, so it's worth your while to keep an good lookout for these ultimate expressions in eye candy. The following list will give you a good start when you're checking out the show:

• Canadian Auto Associates of Guelph, agents for Detroit Chopper
• Classic Chopper Inc. of Milton, manufacturers of Captain America Replica
• Cranked Customs of Port Perry, agents for Ultra, Hellbound, and Nasty Boy, www.crankedcustoms.com
• Titan Motorcycle Company of Arizona, www.titanmotorcycles.com
• Wild Side Choppers of Etobicoke, agents for Carefree Custom Choppers, www.carefreecustoms.com
• Boss Hoss of Toronto, agents for Boss Hoss, Ultra, and Hellbound
• Kahuna Cycles of Woodbridge, agents for Nasty Boy

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