Canadian Biker January / February 2016

What better way to start a new year of the magazine, our 37th, than to look at a few of the interesting new models that will be showing up on the sales floor in 2016? It isn’t the actual production model of Victory’s new sport-ish bike that graces the cover but we are betting it is pretty close. The Project 156 which began life as a Roland Sands built Pikes Peak racer has taken a production turn with Victory parceling out units to customizers including Erbacher (whose interpretation is on the cover) and the most junior of the Ness trio, Zach. The Project 156 is a further example of Victory Motorcycles seeking a new or alternate paths in the motorcycle landscape. Also in the stable this year at the Polaris subsidiary is the a Victory branded electric motorcycle, the Empulse – the progeny of the Polaris purchase of Brammo. The 156 is only one of the bikes we look at as new machines like the KTM Super Duke GT, the Moto Guzzi MGX-21 and BMW’s tempting 2017 RnineT Scrambler also grab our attention.

You remember the expression if it walks like a duck, sounds like a duck, looks like a duck, it is probably a duck? We jump aboard Honda NC750X to see if the middleweight Honda really does have a little of the x-factor. In other words – if Honda is going to make the middleweight look like an ADV bike, can it ride like an ADV bike – albeit within reason.

Seeing as cold weather is setting in we decided a couple of warm travel destinations might be the best way to go for the Jan/Feb issue so we head off to Moab for dualsport adventures through red rock country. The scenery is fantastic, the temperature well into the red and the rock crawling fierce. And – just because we can – there is even the mention of some mountain biking. Who says you can’t have fun on two wheels without an engine?

For a classical education, we follow a Canadian architect as he rides the Mediterranean coast of Turkey in search of Greek ruins. It appears that the ruins may be fascinating but the riding and the food are even better.

It is not the destination, it’s the journey. It seems that I am not the only one who finds those long, long straight stretches of road that cross desert valleys as 15 miles vectors interesting, our regular contributor Ed Pretty appears to have the same problem and in this issue we allow him to try and get his point straight across.

Besides all that we have Kansas (the state not the band), new and old Bonnevilles, a two wheel drive BMW R1200GS, a great VMax custom celebrating thirty years of over-the-top styling and more.

Enjoy.

Keep independent motorcycle journalism alive! If you found this article interesting or useful, please consider sharing.

Related Stories and Pages: