From issue 179 | BY NIGEL PATERSON
Way back in the 1950s, Harley-Davidson realised it needed some lighter bikes — so it built the Sportster. Now Royal Enfield is building a bike that has been inspired by the design. You’ll note I said inspired, not copied, because the new Royal Enfield Shotgun is powered by a parallel twin rather than a V-Twin and, well, there have been lots of bikes inspired by the Sportster over the years (and the British might argue Harley-Davidson was copying their ideas when HD came up with the Sportster in the first place!).
However Royal Enfield did it, the new Shotgun looks pretty cool. As do the new BMW R 12 and R 12 nineT. And the Yamaha XSR900 GP…
Good-looking machines inspired by decades-old designs, aimed at appealing to a lifestyle choice… few of these motorcycles are used for anything beyond recreational riding, something I have to tell myself frequently when I look at the lack of luggage options, the dearth of weather protection, seat comfort, pillion accommodation… all the things that make a motorcycle more practical for day-to-day use.
I have to remind myself these bikes aren’t for those things. They are for riders who don’t care about such things, for riders looking for machines that look great, ride in a manner which they like, have a riding position the owner is comfortable with.
They are looking for a machine which reflects their values, their beliefs… even if it’s just their motorcycling lifestyle and maybe only on a given day. Of course, having more than one motorcycle lets you enjoy different aspects of motorcycling. See me at the track and I’m wearing race leathers, looking fast even if I’m not as quick as I once was, but I can still get a knee down… yet the next day I could be at an adventure bike launch trying not to launch myself into the stratosphere.
The options for motorcyclists are huge these days and there’s little need to modify a bike to make it work for you — just buy the style of bike you like (then, of course, personalise). The bikes featured in this issue reflect a lot of what I’m talking about. The Suzuki GSX-S1000GX (p36) joins the Hayabusa as a flagship model, the bike home to the absolute latest tech combined with crossover style and function… it’s a ripper bike which is the modern interpretation of a sports-tourer.
The CFMOTO 450NK (p48) is a twin-cylinder modern naked. Sporty and versatile, it’s a fun bike to ride, is affordable and LAMS approved — it deserves to do well.
Ducati’s second-generation Scrambler range has finally arrived and we rode the Full Throttle (p56). I’ve loved the Scramblers since they first arrived nearly a decade ago and the latest model is an improved version of Ducati’s fun bikes — built to get you around in an enjoyable way.
Then there’s the Royal Enfield Himalayan 450 (p86). It’s a vastly improved machine over the previous 411 Himalayan, in every respect. You can do almost anything on a Himalayan and it’s a bargain, too.
Then there’s the new Harley-Davidson Grand American Tourers, the Street Glide and Road Glide. As I write this I haven’t ridden them yet as the launch is running very close to deadline, but I have high hopes: the CVO models I rode for issue 177 were leaps and bounds ahead of anything similar from the Motor Co and while I don’t think the standard models can match the standard set by the $62,500 specials, I do believe they will be better than earlier bikes.
Which brings me back to the Royal Enfield Shotgun. It’s a variation on the theme, the company’s parallel twin platform that has already seen the very successful Continental GT, Interceptor and Super Meteor become good-selling bikes.
To many, the Shotgun will be the best looking of the bunch. It’s also similar in price to the Harley-Davidson X500, so it will be very interesting to see which bike does better in the marketplace.
