Motorcycles

Indian is taking on Harley in a new market segment: mini electric motorcycles for kids. The new eFTR Jr looks a fair bit like Indian's famous flat trackers, and packs dual suspension, 15-mph (24-km/h) top speeds and over an hour's riding time.

The bizarre "King of the Baggers" race plans to pit giant cruisers from Harley and Indian against each other at Laguna Seca. Tuner Roland Sands is race-prepping a Challenger for this crazy event, and we caught up for a very fun chat about it.

On its first test ride, ostensibly to break in its tailor-made 3-liter flat plane V8 engine, the Eisenberg EV8 managed to crack 207 mph, or 333 km/h. This is one frightening, but somehow enticing, piece of engineering – and it's yours for US$130,000.

BMW has announced its most powerful motorcycle ever – a lightweight, juiced-up version of its outstanding S1000RR superbike that becomes the first bike to wear the storied M badge. The M1000RR is a razor-edged track bike that's also street-legal.

China's CFMoto has announced the biggest, most powerful production motorcycle in Chinese history – a fully appointed luxury grand tourer festooned with quality components. The 1250TR-G looks ready to take on the best of Germany, at much lower prices.

Land speed racers are a rare and different breed, willing to put their lives on the line for a chance to look at the world from a perspective and velocity nobody before them has experienced. Last week, the world's fastest biker lost his life.

To American riders, the Trail 125 will look like a slightly wacky, semi-scramblerized version of the venerable Cub, something like a light off-road scooter. But any Australian biker that sees one will be swept away in a flood of memories.

BMW Motorrad says it's created a motorcycle chain that totally eliminates the need for chain lube and routine tension adjustments, using a super-hard, super-low friction industrial diamond coating on the chain rollers. It'll cost you, though.

Triumph has taken the unusual step of presenting a "design prototype" of its upcoming Trident, a neo-retro middleweight roadster that presumably uses the outstanding 765cc 3-cylinder engine from the Street Triple.

The venerable Honda CBR600RR gets a full makeover for 2021, including an electronic throttle and an inertial control unit. So as well as a power boost, it gets lean-sensitive traction control, ABS, wheelie control, power modes and other goodies.

Indian's going back to the nutty sport of hillclimb racing with a new, custom-built, extra-long version of its FTR750 flat tracker. Rider John "Flying" Koester will take aim at a title in the new Twins category of the AMA Pro Hillclimb series.

It has been a remarkable week in the collectible motorcycle industry, with many important motorcycles selling at Bonhams' Bicester Heritage Auction, with two others being sold in Monterey. Here's our summary of the major sales and non-sales.