2WD

Rokon motorcycles aren’t like any other. This particular two-wheel-drive beast, the Ranger Dual Sport Edition, might not produce crazy power figures, but it can tow 2,000 lb, climb a 60% grade, and carry heaps of luggage – all while being street legal.

Yamaha has been building eBikes for three decades and experimenting with 2WD motorcycles since 1992. A new concept to be shown at the Japan Mobility Show later this month suggests a lightweight AWD e-bike is on the cards.

This electric 2WD fat bike is built to tackle just about anything, with huge balloon tires at the front and rear. It can cross water in amphibious mode, and handle serious distances with a range extender and up to 40 liters of fuel in the wheels.

The Ethec electric motorcycle, designed and built by Swiss university students, is a strange jumble of ideas that are individually very nice. With a massive 15-kWh battery box, it offers a range around 250 miles. And it's got a second hub motor in the front wheel to improve its regenerative braking.

Once the Dakar force to beat, Mini has had to sit by and watch Peugeot's beastly 2WD overshadow it the past two years. Now it's experimenting with a rugged 2WD buggy of its own, preparing to run both 2WD and 4WD cars at next year's Dakar. Are Peugeot's days at the top numbered?

Looking back over the year, 2016 seen a whole lot of weird and wonderful developments in the motorcycle world. Well, some of them just weird. Here are our favorite bikes from around the world that pushed the envelope in 2016.

When a cyclist is riding across Antarctica, all-wheel-drive makes a lot of sense. That's what Australian adventurer Kate Leeming is attempting to do, and if you've got the cash, you can buy an AWD fatbike like the one that she'll be using.​

​Remember the Varibike? It's a bicycle that can be pedalled with both the arms and the legs, allowing for more of a full-body workout. Well, if an upcoming crowdfunding campaign is successful, it'll soon have some competition … in the form of the TwiCycle.​

These two Italian off-road electrics bring some serious new chops to the table - for starters, 2WD for extra traction on hill climbs and loose surfaces. But perhaps more interestingly, they're the first motorcycles to ditch the standard dash and replace it with a rugged, waterproof smartphone.

Using an electric hub motor in the front wheel, this ingenious retrofit kit adds two-wheel-drive as well as a handy reverse gear to a standard BMW R1200GS.

The Dryvtech 2x2x2 experimental motorcycle prototype is up for sale on eBay. It's a truly unique vehicle that drives AND steers with both wheels, using hydraulics instead of mechanical connections. Gizmag spoke with inventor Ian Drysdale about the bike, the build and why he won't be buying it back.

Japanese bicycle manufacturer Tretta is looking at selling its 2-wheel-drive bicycles in North America.