2. MotoAmerica KTM RC 390 Cup Racer: Designed for racers 14 to 22 years old, the KTM RC 390 goes racing in America to help develop future American MotoGP champions. Based on the street-going KTM RC 390, this is a spec machine with a sealed engine to ensure close and fair competition. It’s the closest thing to a Moto3 bike we’ll see in America for the time being, and definitely worth checking out.3. 2015 KTM Freeride 250 R: Something of a mix between a trials bike and an enduro bike, the 2015 KTM Freeride 250 R is designed for riders who want to take on difficult terrain, but can’t handle a full-size enduro bike. With an electric start 250cc two-stroke motor and Maxxis trials rear tire, the Freeride should be capable of going on some seriously extreme trail rides, while remaining fun for the less experienced rider on normal routes. You’ll spend quite a bit of time going over all the unusual details on this jewel of a trail bike.4. 2015 KTM PowerParts KTM 1290 Super Duke R: For those who don’t think the stock 2015 KTM 1290 Super Duke R is wild enough, KTM has dug into its PowerParts bin and made it an even more radical V-twin pavement ripper. This is another KTM that you’ll just want to observe and ponder.5. 2015 KTM 450 SX-F: Supercross season is just around the corner, so you’ll want to check out the basis of the Red Bull KTM 450 SX-F factory racers that Ryan Dungey and Dean Wilson will be racing in the stadiums in 2015. There are plenty of updates to the motor and chassis this year to go over with a fine-toothed comb.Photography by Don Williams
Honda CRF-E2 Electric + Dale Schmidtchen and the $50M V-Rod
byMotos and Friends by Ultimate Motorcycle
Hello everyone and welcome to Ultimate Motorcycling’s podcast, Motos and Friends. My name is Arthur Coldwells.
This week’s episode is brought to you by Yamaha YZF-R7. The R7 lives up to its legendary name, as a high-performance supersport machine. Check it out at at your local Yamaha dealer, or of course at YamahaMotorsports.com.
In this week’s first segment, Editor Don Williams and I chat about electric bikes and the electric bike revolution that is likely the future of motorcycling. Actually this episode is specifically about Honda’s new CRF-E2… an electric dirt-bike for kids. We asked our tester, 8-year old Avery Bart to put the E2 through its paces and according to Don, she loved it. Honda has stated that the company goal is for 50% of its sales to be electric by 2030—an ambitious goal for sure, and the CRF-E2 is the first step in that direction.
In the second segment, I chat with one of my Aussie motorcycle industry friends—Dale Schmidtchen. Dale has worked for most of the major moto factories globally during his career, and his take on his CF Moto ADV bike is interesting. Beyond that, one his many projects is currently helping to sell the world’s most expensive motorcycle—a Harley V-Rod worth around 50 million dollars. Yes, that’s 50 million with an ‘M’.
Dale also owned a race team in the 1990s and helped bring several well-known Aussie racers to the world stage. He’s a very modest, matter-of-fact guy, but I always really enjoy chatting with him; I hope you enjoy listening.
Incidentally, if you’ve got around fifty mill burning a hole in your pocket and you fancy owning the so-called ‘Mona Lisa of motorbikes’—contact us at producer@ultimatemotorcycling.com and we’ll put you in touch with Dale.
From all of us here at Ultimate Motorcycling, we hope you enjoy this episode!
