On the Triumph TF 450-E, a seizing shaft in the cylinder head can stall the engine while riding. In Germany, 50 motorcycles are affected; in North America the recall is considerably larger and covers the entire TF 450 family.
Browsing: Technology
From ABS to emergency brake assist, motorcycle electronics have changed dramatically in almost 40 years. Which systems demonstrably prevent crashes, where the technology creates its own problems and what prototypes and patents hint at for the future.
On Suzuki’s endurance GSX-R1000R, the mudguards, fairing and winglets are made of flax instead of carbon. Swiss manufacturer Bcomp openly names the strengths and weaknesses of the material, and a crash at Suzuka showed how the parts behave when it really matters.
Chinese manufacturer ZXMoto has shown its new 1000 cc boxer as a real prototype for the first time. Liquid cooling, shaft drive, installation position and many details are strongly reminiscent of the BMW boxer.
At CIMA 2026 in Chongqing, Voge showed the CU-X, a power cruiser with a plug-in hybrid drive. Above all, the concept is a rolling showcase for a new technology platform that is set to find its way into production models step by step.
A motorcycle tyre only holds on the asphalt because it slips a little across it. Temperature, tyre pressure and the condition of the road then decide how much of that grip is ultimately left for braking and lean angle.
ZXMoto’s new V5 engine is said to be on show at EICMA in November, with the Superbike World Championship named as the target for 2028. Yet a five-cylinder does not appear in that series’ rulebook at all.
Benda is bringing the Rock 707 cruiser to European dealers from mid-September and is asking 9,999 euros in Germany. The 692 cc V-twin comes with an electronically controlled clutch, twin-chamber air suspension and a seat height that drops by 30 millimetres at a standstill.
Model year 2027 begins earlier than usual, with the first machines appearing in price lists and at dealers as early as the summer of 2026. This overview page collects every confirmed and announced motorcycle release for 2027 and is updated continuously.
The first test drives for a driverless taxi service begin in Munich in the coming weeks, and other operators are already on the road there. For motorcyclists that pushes one question to the front, and there is still no solid European answer to it: how reliably does this technology detect a single-track vehicle?
Qianjiang, the parent company of QJMotor, has protected a single-cylinder engine in the US that looks like a V-twin at first glance. The second cylinder produces no power, it houses a dummy piston intended to replace the balancer shaft.
BMW Motorrad has filed a patent for a newly designed rear swingarm intended for the coming superbike generation. What matters here is less the shape than the process used to make the part.
GoPro is evidently working in earnest on its own motorcycle helmet. Newly published patent documents show a blind spot warning that relies not on radar or cameras, but on microphones and machine learning.
Husqvarna and GasGas have extended their recall for Braktec brake calipers to all markets. The list of models is considerably longer than in the previous North American campaign.
A newly published patent application shows for the first time how the four-legged Kawasaki Corleo is meant to work in detail. The documents describe a rider outfit with built-in sensors, room for two people and several riding modes.
On the Manx R, Norton measures not just the movement of the motorcycle but the suspension elements themselves. The Atlas adopts parts of this electronics philosophy in the middleweight class.
Assumptions about engine oil persist that date back to an era of far simpler engines. Lubricant manufacturer Motul has picked up four of them and set them against the current state of the art.
In Rome, more and more scooters and motorcycles are cutting out shortly after refuelling. Workshops are finding water and dirt in the fuel, and the finance police have now launched large-scale inspections at filling stations in the capital.
Bimota and electronics partner GET have revealed how the movable winglets on the KB998 Rimini work. The technology is now fitted to the road-legal model as well, but it could disappear from racing as early as 2027.
BMW is recalling 16,736 examples of the S 1000 RR in the US over a possible defect in the ignition switch. Because the fault is down to wear, the entire second model generation is set to come into the workshops.