Harley-Davidson is withdrawing its factory team from the US racing series King of the Baggers after the 2026 season and will focus on the Bagger World Cup and a new grassroots program from 2027. For organizer MotoAmerica the decision comes late, while Indian carries on with new champion Hayden Gillim.
BRABUS, Fragment Design and DAB Motors are showing a special version of the BRABUS URBAN E electric motorcycle at ComplexCon 2026 in Los Angeles. The collector’s edition is limited to ten units, costs 53,550 euros in Germany and bears the signature of Japanese designer Hiroshi Fujiwara.
After shredded rear tyres for Francesco Bagnaia and Jorge Martin in the sprint, nobody is allowed to start the Japanese Grand Prix on the soft rear tyre. Michelin explicitly recommends the hard tyre with reinforced carcass, but it is not mandatory.
BMW expands the F 450 family with a naked bike for the A2 licence, focusing on low weight and plenty of standard equipment. The new F 450 R comes with 48 hp (35 kW), weighs 175 kg and is optionally available with a clutch that handles pulling away by itself.
Benda is bringing the Dark Flag 950 to the first European dealers from the end of November 2026. The cruiser relies on a 948 cc V4 with around 109 hp, in a class where a V2 is almost always found.
From early October, seven new posters from the road safety campaign “Runter vom Gas” (Slow Down) will be displayed along German autobahns, painted by girls aged between nine and twelve. Behind the designs lies a months-long selection process in which drastic alternatives and AI-generated drafts ultimately played no role.
On the twisty L698 over the Kohlberg between Altena-Dahle and Neuenrade, residents have been complaining about noise and excessive speed for years. The CDU group on Altena’s town council wants to change that with a ten-point plan ranging from new speed limits to a fixed speed camera.
After four fatal motorcycle crashes this year, authorities, municipalities and police in Baden-Baden have agreed on a joint package of measures for the Black Forest High Road. More checks with drones and unmarked vehicles are planned, while logbook orders, one-way systems and the confiscation of motorcycles are also being examined.
