Motorcycles

MotoAmerica's King of the Baggers race was a crazy idea, pitting some of the least-racy motorcycles in the USA against one another around California's famous Laguna Seca racetrack in a knee-dragging, luggage-dragging, motor-popping spectacle.

This Washington-based company will build you a murdered-out, snub-nosed electric brawler of a motorcycle, at a fantastical price. It'd be the perfect bike for a post-apocalyptic hellscape, provided that hellscape still has power points to plug into.

Austrian bikes have always been world-class and prior to WW2, the Puch name was the pride of Austrian mobility. One bike in particular has emerged as an auction block star with its outstanding engineering and exceptional rarity: the Puch 800 V-four.

The middleweight adventure motorcycle segment is already showing signs of capacity creep. Two years after introducing its 790cc adventure machines, KTM has announced 890cc versions offering extra power and grunt. But will there be a weight penalty?

A new Texan startup has announced its first electric motorcycle. The awkwardly named Volcon Grunt is a fat-wheeled off-roader with a 100-mile range, and it'll soon be followed by a pair of side-by-side four-wheelers built for practicality and fun.

The original intercontinental overlander of the motorcycle world, BMW's R/GS series, has received a bunch of high-tech electronic upgrades for its 40th anniversary, giving an already well-appointed bike even more appointments for its hoard.

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.