Minnesota Adventure Riders

Seems like everyone has introduced its version of an “adventure” bike.  Oh, but wait…Royal Enfield hasn’t…until now.  The Himalayan is the company’s take on what an off-road bike should look like.  In this market it is definitely unique if not a bit “unfinished” looking.  Kudos to them for not following the pack and making a 1200cc monster with 60 pounds of electronics and a plastic beak. More info on Royal Enfield’s site.

Yamaha recently released this video of a humanoid style robot driving one of their street bikes.  In this day of drones and autonomous vehicles, I guess it isn’t much of a surprise.  However, I wonder how much we will sacrifice as these automated gadgets seep into our riding experience.  Cruise control, computer controlled suspensions, “clutchless” systems, anti-lock brakes, traction control, etc. are all available in current Adventure bikes.  While they can for the most part be turned off, they add weight and cost.  Will there still be a market in the future for a “naked” Adventure bike without all these gadgets?  Will manufacturers cater to that market?  Or are we doomed to all ride “motobot” controlled bikes someday?

2016 IMS comes to Minneapolis in just over two weeks. Use this link for a discounted ticket price: http://ow.ly/XjLBR
Floor map is here: http://ow.ly/XjMaE
I don’t remember KTM exhibiting in Minneapolis in the past, but they show as coming this year. Maybe my memory is just fading!

The 2016 Dakar has already begun.  Are you watching?  See the updates on http://www.dakar.com.  Below is the car/bike update from stage 2 and the overall race teaser video.

Try using this Adventure Motorcycling wall calendar.  Try not to day dream too long staring on the awesome photography…that negates the staying on track part…:)

Direct link: http://www.calendars.com/Adventure-Motorcycle-Deluxe-Wall-Calendar/prod201500004243/

(emailed in from MrFixIt)