Meeting the Coopop Rugged GS

Post author:RW
Post published:2 June 2025

We met the Coopop way back at the 2023 EICMA show in Milan. With its deliciously off-centre looks and funky colours, it was right up our street.

Back then, the little bikes were still called the Fuki and the Cox, respectively. Our guess is that when buyers started asking about riding their Cox hard or how to go about polishing their Cox, the company decided a name change was wise. It probably was.

The Coopop Rugged GS has now finally and firmly landed in the Netherlands. So it is time to get properly acquainted.

The Coopop Rugged RS finally on show in the Netherlands

What is it?

The Rugged GS is a simple, sturdy and bare-bones-looking electric moped. Think of it, in spirit at least, as a modern day a Honda Monkey. Maybe cross-bred with a Zoomer (or Ruckus if you Americanly inclined). All the essentials are present and it even sports a couple of luxuries (eg. remote start and alarm). All are achieved beautifully minimalistic.

Specs

Dimensions	1303 mm x 643 mm x 1059 mm
Hight with bars folded	860 mm
Weight	40 kg
Top speed	25 or 45 km/h
Motor	1200 Wh hub motor
Battery	1.440 Wh, 48V 30Ah
Range	approx. 50 to 60 km
Charging time	approx. 5 hours

The looks

We’ve said it before and we’ll say it again; Looks are just about all an EV has to set itself apart from the competition. There is no noise, no distinguishable powertrain characteristics, nothing. Therefore, if the looks are on point, you are off to the races.

This is where the Coopop nails it. It is cheerful but effortlessly cool. It has a scrambler-ish seat and high stubby bars. The one we borrowed came in skyfall blue, which really pops. The eye-catchers have to be the big puppydog eye headlights.

At the same time the headlight grill, the tubular frame and the knobbly tires suggest that it is somehow also ready to rumble. Our thorough video test reveals that both are true. This is an attack puppy.

The Good Stuff

Technically, there is not a lot to go wrong, as an electric moped is not much more than a washing machine on wheels. The overall build quality feels absolutely fine and the switchgear feels equally well made.

The ride is surprisingly good. Surprisingly, as we imagined it to be a true boneshaker of a thing. When the roads get really bumpy, the lack of suspension definitely shows. But under normal circumstances, all is well. The brakes and tires both proved much better than we had expected. This miniature comedy scooter is actually a pretty decent bit of kit.

Most importantly, each time you get a glance of yourself in a shop window, you can’t help but smile. It’s just so quirky and fun.

The Bad Stuff

Though we like the bike, it’s not perfect. The screen is blindingly bright at night, actually making it difficult to see ahead clearly. At the same time the lights on the dash are too dim to clearly see during daytime. This means that, since the indicators do not self cancel, you find yourself indicating a lot. On our test bike the battery level indicator was all over the place. It was explained to us that this was the unforeseen result of a recent battery upgrade, and will be resolved in future Ruggeds.

Quality wise, only one thing really bothered us. The battery cover is too cheap and plasticy to belong on this otherwise very sorted machine. Annoyingly, as an electric moped is so quiet, you hear it rattling a lot.

Room for improvement, sure. But nothing to lose sleep over.

The Competition

Right off the bat, an electric moped is simply not going to fit everyone’s needs. If you have range anxiety, get a Vespa. If you do short commutes or city cruising, please continue.

The straight up competition for the Rugged GS would be other electric mopeds and scooters. Short version, in terms of range they are all generally the same. If you need it to go further, you pay a lot more. You could easily knock the Coopop for offering less storage space than its competition. But on the flip side, most of them look utterly drab. So you don’t want those even if it does mean getting your helmet wet (yes, we know). Coopop wins.

If you are a campervanist in need of a stowable bike for blasts to the supermercado, I challenge you to find anything more suitable. Coopop wins.

So far, so good, you might think. But on our test, we did discover a considerable asterisk. The current day Dutch city centre is largely reserved for pedestrians and cyclists. Over and over again we wanted to take the Rugged somewhere and were simply not allowed in. Being quiet or zero emissions makes no difference at all. It is a moped, and mopeds are not allowed. Coopop defeated.

The real competition, therefore, is not a moped at all. It is the electric bicycle. Super73 anyone?

Conclusion

The Rugged GS is a genuinely good little charmer and deserves to be loved. If it fits your needs, it’s worth considering.

The Bore-net 1000

Post author:RW
Post published:20 October 2024

The Honda Hornet 1000 has finally landed! And if this were 2006, we would be absolutely blown away right now. But it isn’t, and we aren’t.

The Hornet 1000

The Hornet was announced just before, and displayed at, last year’s EICMA event. It only took the tiny, shed-based Japanese manufacturer about a year to finally bring the bike from show to the showrooms.

The not-really-news-anymore of the Hornet was received online by a pack of people chanting “bang-for-buck!” over and over again. Which is accurate enough, since you could own this entire 150hp, 1000cc naked bike for as little as €12.000 in the Netherlands, or £8.999 in the UK. The United States believe litres are unconstitutional and therefore will be excluded.

With the drop of this motorcycle, Honda engages the competition head on with a brand new, beautifully designed, powerful, affordable supernaked.

Then What On Earth Could Be The Problem?

Well, the problem would be that pretty much every word in the previous sentence deserves an asterisk. With that said, here we go.

Brand New*

The Hornet’s powerplant is described as the ‘2017 Fireblade engine’. Which is a really friendly way of saying the engine is the same as the 08 ‘Blade, and that is a really friendly way of saying it is 17 years old at this point. Take a minute to let that roll around your noggin. Roughly half the Red Bull Rookies Cup riders hadn’t been born when this engine was first available in showrooms. They’re out there right now, tearing up Grand Prix tracks. Honestly, it’s like Honda is out there peddling Motorola flip phones.

Powerful*

Yes, a hundred and fifty horsepower is bucketsfull of plenty on a nakedbike. It always has been and it always will be. So maybe the decision to not use the 214 horsepower ‘24 Fireblade engine makes sense. We just really cannot see how. Any other company just detunes the thing and calls it a day. Why would you not just use your current engine for your current motorcycle? Can it really be that much more economical to start rebuilding outdated engines rather than to use the one you have already been making for the past five years?

Then comes the kicker. Even this old Fireblade power plant has still been thoroughly detuned. In the mid two thousands this engine put out 175hp and 115Nm. All while bolted to a lighter chassis. The Hornet has to make due with 104Nm, which is only found higher up the rev range. Yeah, we don’t know why you would want that either.

Supernakeds* and the Competition*

Maybe Honda just strongly feels that 175hp is too much for a road legal naked bike. Could be. Annoyingly, nobody else seems to believe so.

All other supernakeds are simply on another level in terms of performance. The Speed Triple, the Tuono, the Streetfighter, the Superduke and the Brutale would all murder it on sight. Even the Suzuki GSX-S1000 could end up giving the Hornet a bloody nose. And we had to look up on Google if Suzuki was still building motorcycles…

To get around this issue, the company has simply stated that the Hornet is not a supernaked. It is just a lowly mid range naked bike. That statement pushes the bike into the arena with MT09s and Street Triples. Sorry not sorry, but that is some bullshit. Imagine Mike Tyson saying that he’s not a professional boxer anymore. He’s too old, you see. But boy, does he enjoy spending his days beating the ever-loving shit out of teenage amateurs at the local gym.

For a company with such a rich history in competition, they sure go through a lot of trouble trying to avoid any…

Beautifully designed*

It isn’t.

It looks as if someone asked AI to draw up the designs. Many have already cried out that the Hornet is a lacklustre mashup of an early Kawa z1000 and a Ducati Streetfighter. Only with the Streetfighter headlight now sporting a black plastic unicorn horn, because Honda decided to just plonk the dash right on top of it. Where else are you going to put it, right? We’re not even going to get into the teeny tiny screen with its three inch wide black edges.

The uninspired looks are not the biggest of its problems though. In all honesty, it does not even look half bad. Just utterly boring. No, the real problem is that Honda is on the whole, once again, phoning it in (on a Motorola flip phone, presumably).

Not even the models seem particularly excited

Affordable*

It is that, and impressively so. At not even second-hand Tuono or Superduke money, we can’t see why that rational man or woman would not just get one. Really, not many other options come remotely close to the bang-for-buck that this bike delivers.

But is this really what you want from Honda? It is? For the world’s biggest motorcycle manufacturer to have to resort to the tactics of a Chinese startup to try to trick us into thinking their new bike is interesting?
“You won’t believe the price!”
Yeah, great. But how about you attempt to be class leading again for once? I bet you could still do it on a budget if you wanted to. You are Honda!

So, What’s Left To Like Then?

Getting back to our sentence at the start of this love letter, and leaving out all aforementioned untruths, what’s left is this; Honda has released an affordable bike.

And that, they really have. If you are in the market for a bike, this is certainly a bike. But ask yourself, would you get hyped if you found out Toyota had released a new Corolla? Because that is pretty much what this is.

A Generic Looking Bike
A Generic Looking Bike
Wish.com Design House
Don’t Look at the Screen
A Generic Looking Bike in an Underground Car Park

No Hat Trick For LiveWire

Post author:RW
Post published:23 March 2024

All Good Things…

After being gently weaned from Harley Davidson’s teat as a stand-alone brand for electric motorcycles, they have done well. Not in terms of sales or profit obviously. Don’t be silly. There are still close to zero humans out there in the real world buying electric motorcycles. Dutch sales figures, for example, show a barely two per cent market share in bike sales for all electric motorcycles combined. BMW sells roughly seven times that number all by itself.

No, where they have done well is finally bringing a cool-factor to whizzy biking. Actually, they have so far been the only electric bike brand to crack that nut. Most competitors are either bankrupt or eternally stuck in a concept stage. The only real world rivals are Energica, who are out to lunch, and Zero, who still exclusively build bikes for massive dorks.

The Harley Davidson LiveWire/LiveWire One was a pretty well received and well-rounded bike. Not just as an electric motorcycle, but as a motorcycle in general. The S2 Del Mar that followed (and for whatever reason is still not available in most of Europe) is one of the best looking new bikes out there. We at RunningWide have even waxed lyrical about how it seemed that Harley Davidson and its LiveWire offspring could do no wrong in the styling department lately.

…Must Come To An End

Enter the difficult third album. Seemingly out of nowhere, LiveWire introduced their third motorcycle to the world this week. Though there had been some chatter, there really was not much warning. The socials were cleared out, the countdown posts were put in place and within three days bike lovers all over the world were treated to the LiveWire S2 Mulholland.

Allow me to rip off the band-aid. If you liked the first LiveWire, and you loved the S2 Del Mar… You are going to absolutely hate this one. So, what exactly has happened? Well, it looks as if in their haste to get it out onto the showroom floors, they have completely forgotten to design the damn thing.

The intention is clear. The Mulholland mimics the basic shape of a light, Sportster-esque machine, with a bit of a clubstyle vibe to it even. Forgive me for having to use the word style there. The idea is not bad, since the whole clubstyle thing is reasonably popular right now. In any case, LiveWire fails to stick the landing, unfortunately

It is based on the S2 platform we know from the Del Mar, but from there on out it all crashes and burns. The whole hipster retro-cool aesthetic that the Del Mar managed to pull off is straight out the window. Where the former’s headlight was a beautiful feat of minimalistic design, the Mulholland gets just any old generic LED headlight. But dopey. The front indicators are such thin, protruding units, they could be used for landing jet fighters and the rear ones are from the late nineties and mounted vertically. Because, reasons, I guess.

That whole front assembly is tied to what looks like the front suspension off of a Chinese moped. The bars appear to have been transplanted from the otherwise completely different looking Del Mar, but fitted with the highest risers since the dawn of humankind. The seat got stuck halfway into an attempt to climb what would traditionally be the gas tank, which in turn is visually both there and not there. The bar end mirrors, usually installed to create a cleaner look over bigger, factory mounted ones, accomplish exactly the opposite here. The rear fender is, in terms of surface area, the largest slab of nothing we’ve ever seen and the front one looks to be mounted backwards.

Probably the only angle we’ve seen that makes the Mulholland look halfway decent

Looks Are Everything

Nothing really adds up for the Mulholland. The effort comes across as rushed or half-arsed. A problem, surely…

The styling needs to be the draw with one of these, as there is no engine, no sound, no traditional feel or ‘character’. To lure potential converts in, an electric bike better look damn good in shop windows. And the Mulholland just doesn’t. If there was anything positive to say, I would love to say it. But as not even LiveWire’s own press shots can make this thing look anything but ungainly, I am struggling here.

RunningWide’s Crystal Ball for 2024

Post author:RW
Post published:24 February 2024

Around this same time last year, RunningWide stated that predicting the outcome of even as little as a single motorcycle race is dumb. We then immediately proceeded to do some predicting. And, with three out of four prophecies eventually turning out to be correct, Nostradamus can go right ahead and suck it.

Right then, off to the races. Like last year, we’ll predict World Supersport (WSSP), World Superbike (WSBK), Moto2 and MotoGP championships.

WSSP

In the 600cc class that is no longer really a 600cc class, it will again be the lowly 600 that prevails. Last year, the Ducati V2 Panigale with a cubic capacity of a million won the title. But while the pre-season tests again showed a handful of 955 and 800cc bikes on the front row, we will be cheering on Stefano Manzi, Can Oncu and Glenn van Straalen. All of whom are on 600cc bikes, mind you. Our bet is that, while the V2 Panigale is arguably the faster bike, Manzi is the better, more consistent rider. Also, his Ten Kate Yamaha team is no stranger to winning. Our money is on Manzi.

Manzi, Van Straalen and the Ten Kate Yamaha squad

WSBK

In this year’s World Superbike Championship, all our Christmases have come at once. Out of the ‘big three’ (Bautista, Razgatlioglu and Rea), two have switched manufacturers. The third, reigning champion Alvaro Bautista, sustained a particularly nasty injury in the after-season tests and atop that will have to deal with new weight regulations. Weighing about as much as a pencil drawing of himself, the tiny Spaniard will likely be negatively affected by these new rules (which may as well be known as the ‘fuck this dude specifically amendment’). Meanwhile, his new and much younger teammate Bulega (who, we will keep reminding you, looks exactly like a young Arnold Schwarzenegger) is absolutely flying in all pre-season tests.

In camp BMW, Turkish crowd favourite Toprak Razgatlioglu is getting quite comfortable at his new home. Having ended the Phillip Island tests at the top of the time sheets, his chancy transfer appears to be paying off so far. As of yet the same cannot be said for Jonathan Rea on the Yamaha R1m, but who knows…

Another little something that could turn out to be a big factor in this year’s championship is the return of Andrea “the Maniac” Iannone to racing. After a four year ban, the former MotoGP star has an itch to scratch and a point to prove. Ending testing in fourth place overall, we’ll go ahead and assume that he hasn’t forgotten how to ride a bike just yet.

The seeds for a spectacular season full of surprises have well and truly been sown. Big names have switched seats, rules have changed, newcomers have shown to be blisteringly fast. Not one rider appears to have all the aces in hand. We would not be surprised if the first half of the season turned out to be a very different story to the second half.

Right now it may look as if the championship is Toprak’s to lose. For heaven’s sake though, don’t forget all the other guys that are out there just itching to take that shot. The Lowes brothers could both easily be up there and Petrucci, Gardner, Redding or Aegerter could challenge for wins. Taking the championship is a different thing still though. If we’re feeling ballsy, we’d say Bulega and Iannone have a real shot at this.

Andrea Iannone it is. We want to see that story unfold.

Moto2

It is going to be a Triumph triple for sure. That much is clear, and that is really all we feel confident in predicting. Anything can happen at all times in Moto2. What if we just say that it is going to be Jake Dixon? It won’t be. It will be a Spaniard. But saying it out loud does feel nice. So there, Jake Dixon will be Moto2 champion of 2024.

MotoGP

In MotoGP, pre-season testing showed over half the grid breaking lap records. Ducati still has the best bike out there and easily retains its dominance by putting eight of them on track once again. The cherry on the cake for us, worshippers of the braap, is that one of them is now being helmed by Marc Marquez. We could talk about that little fact all day, but if you would not yet understand why that is a thoroughly interesting prospect, you probably would not be reading this right now.

Both the Aprilias and the KTMs are out there to occasionally challenge and even beat the Ducatis, but we cannot see the real danger coming from that corner yet. Apart from the fact that Pedro Acosta has just come from Moto2 to climb aboard a GASGAS KTM. The rookie, claimed by some to be God’s gift to motorcycling, has been fast beyond expectation during the first tests. Later sessions see him over a second off the pace though. So has the rookie already been put in his spot, or will we see more of this early brilliance later on in the season? An actual title challenge from any of the above seems unlikely though.

Meanwhile, in a sandbox all the way in the back of the paddock, Honda and Yamaha are sat there eating beetles and blowing spitbubbles. Absolute shambles, not a chance. We mean, Yamaha are in a bad place right now, but Honda? We know for a fact that there is plenty of potential in Mir, Marini and Zarco. Nakagami is probably a nice guy too. But Honda has, not even in MotoGP but across the entire board of motorcycling, just left the chat. Perfectly content fucking about with lawnmowers or whatever. Maddening.

So, to business then. Who is left and who has sincerely got a shot at this? Two-time champion Bagnaia has got the best papers and is your safest bet. But he is certainly not unbeatable and the competition from his fellow Ducatistas is increasingly fierce. Jorge Martin and Marco Bezzecchi both were mighty impressive and we will be expecting more of the same this year. Bagnaia’s teammate, Enea Bastianini, is back on form after a pretty bad season last year and should probably not be underestimated.

The real threat has got to be Marc Marquez though. The biggest name in motorcycle racing has finally traded in his failing Honda for a Ducati. If this man can successfully adapt his riding style to suit his new steed, the goal posts will be moved. That is where things will change. We can imagine Marc Marquez and Jorge Martin levelling up. We can see these two breathe fire and swallow razorblades. We find it harder to imagine Bagnaia to consistently do the same if we’re honest.

We predict a mostly three way battle with an Aprilia, Yamaha or KTM thrown in for spice every now and then. In the end, for the first time in decades, an independent rider will triumph. When the dust settles, it will be Marc Marquez that holds the title.

So There…

That concludes our guesswork for this season. We cannot wait to be proved wrong…

Are You Still Here?

If you’re still out here reading this, we might as well point you in the direction of some other interesting things to look out for in 2024.

In Moto3 we will be watching closely as Collin Veijer moves through the ranks to take the title this year. Needs to happen, prepared to lose my voice for days when it actually does.

On the watermelon-sized-cojones side of things, there are two specific things that deserve your attention. The first of which is Michael Dunlop. No pressure, but the man is within reach of becoming the undisputed King of the Mountain. Two wins separate him from being the bloke with the most TT wins ever.

The second has to do with the most successful ever Sidecar TT passenger, Tom Birchall, calling it quits. Tom and brother Ben Birchall have arguably been the ones to beat in Sidecar TT racing during the last decade. For 2024, Ben Birchall will be on the start line again with experienced passenger Kevin Rousseau by his side.

May the cojones be with you gentlemen, we will be watching and cheering you on.

Now go and watch some racing…

DAYTO-Nah

Post author:RW
Post published:23 December 2023

I Think I Hate My Favourite Brand

It is as we feared. Triumph has just announced their ‘brand new motorcycle’. It is called the Daytona 660, and there is bit of a problem with that.

The Love

Now I should start by stating very clearly that I like Triumph a lot. If Triumph and I would have been classmates when we were young, we would have been besties for ever and ever for sure. We’d like the same girls, fight bullies together, read the same comics and build a treehouse. I like their bikes, their engines, their weird British way of doing things.

Not surprisingly then, I own a Speed Triple. The ’08 to ’10 1050 had been my dream bike for many years before I finally got it. The fabulously intricate frame, the big ol’ three cylinder torquey boy, the single sided swing arm and of course, the daft round twin headlights. Crazy Stupid Love.

Another great love of mine is their Daytona, the 675 models obviously being the best ones. Pretty is not necessarily a word I would throw in there, but there was always something special about them. They looked a bit cooler and sounded a hell of a lot better than their rivals. I have said many times that the 675 is the best sounding production engine in the world and I will happily die on that hill. (The only possible exception I would make is Triumph’s own 765. Anything else and you’re just wrong. Fight me in the comments.)

The Problem

So, what exactly is the problem then? Well, take a deep breath and grab my hand as we enter angry-nerd-country. It’s a bit complicated, but the Daytona name is at the heart of it.

Over the last 20 years Triumph’s Speed Triple had been lagging further and further behind the competition. If that does not mean anything to you, please remember that the Triumph Speed Triple was arguably the very first supernaked. The Z1000, the MT10, the Ducati Streetfighter and the Tuono, all owe their life to Triumph’s superbike turned naked bike. And, crucially, in later years all were making the class’s founding member look like a retarded labrador in terms of poise and power. Charming in it’s own right, but it was not exactly going to frighten off any trespassers.

The term supernaked requires the naked bike to be heavily based on a superbike. But like the Panigale to the Streetfighter or the R1 to the MT10, there had for a long time not been a Daytona to the Speed Triple. No superbike, no real supernaked. Easy.

So where did that Superbike disappear to? The 955 Daytona died in 2006 and that particular chassis lived on in the Speed Triple until 2010. Making my ’09 Triple the last of Triumph’s real supernakeds. Even though that too is debatable, as the Daytona’s 955cc engine had already been replaced with a 1050cc unit for the Speed Triple in 2005.

The Daytona has since only been a 675 triple supersport bike that shared its underpinnings with the Street Triple. This is completely fine, because both the Daytona and Street Triple 675 were competitive, amazing bikes in their classes. They too were finally killed off in 2018.

Suddenly we find ourselves without a superbike, supersport bike or real supernaked. Only the Street Triple lives on, goes to 765cc and is an absolute peach. But we don’t have anything to really throw at the big boys anymore. Until the Speed Triple 1200RS is revealed in 2021, that is.

The Perfect & The Ridiculous

The 1200RS rekindled my passion for the model. It was finally back on top. A state of the art, competitive barn stormer that could roundhouse kick it’s rivals square in the face. The stats looked great, the design told you it meant business. It was a glorious and desperately needed return to form.

Following the release of the 1200, Triumph started teasing us. We were shown glimpses of the letters RR, the 1200 engine and dark visuals of fairings and screens. Something inside me that I did not know was there, had been stirred. Every motorcycle enthusiast will tell you that RR means race bike. 300, 400, supersport, superbike, it does not matter. RR means it was made to tear shit up. Because of this teasing, all anybody wanted to see was a 1200 Daytona. We wanted Triumph to go to war with the RSV4s and Panigales. The Speed Triple 1200RS looked all set for some clip-ons and fairings. Bob could so easily have been your uncle.

The RR is the exact opposite of what should have been done.

What we got instead was this wet turd. The Speed Triple 1200RR. A half faired, retro looking, hipster baiting, MV Agusta wannabe sack of farts. This goddamn thing with its chubby cheeks and its exposed ‘rivets’ around the screen while the rest of the bike is all sleek and contemporary. I hate it. I hate this thing with a fiery passion for all that it should have been, but isn’t. This is my Justice League Snyder Cut. I want it to be erased from history.

Yes But No

So, no Daytona 1200. At least there was still the possibility of a proper supersport bike. Triumph has a non-stop tease in place for that with the Moto2 project. The Street Triple naked bike’s 765cc triple is the official Moto2 engine. It has some of the most serious racing pedigree. Today’s Street Triples are seriously capable bikes too. They just could. And in 2020 they even sort of did.

The Daytona 765 Moto2 Limited Edition would set you back almost 22k euros, and they only ever made 765 of the things. When all was said and done, this ‘Daytona’ was more of a Street Triple parts bin special than a production motorcycle. An impressive machine, but as limited run of not really new bikes, it just does not really count. Therefore we have to conclude that, once again, Triumph has not delivered a Daytona. Once again, all the parts were in place, all the fanboys were chomping at the bit. But the boys from Hinckley just went for lunch and forgot about it or something.

The Final Offence

And that, dear readers, leads us to where we are today. On this day, my favourite brand in the whole world has revealed that a new motorcycle will wear the name Daytona.

Deep breath… hold… breathe out. The Daytona 660 is a fully faired bike, heavily based on the 660 Trident. And I am sorry Triumph, but what the actual f*ck. You are doing this on purpose, aren’t you?

Both the 660 Trident and even the Tiger are fine motorcycles. But there is nothing remotely sporty going on there. The engine is fine, but it too will not set your trousers on fire any day soon. Even if the engine is upgraded, there is just no chance that this is going to be a race bike for the road. What it will be, is a road bike for the road. This is Jeremy Renner’s Jason Bourne. This is the BMW Supra. This is pineapple pizza. This is vegan bacon.

Sure, it does not affect anything or anybody. All of this is trivial. But, if you are not going to acknowledge that words mean stuff, you might as well paint the Daytona name on a potato…

A High Note

The worst thing about all this is that, while I’m sitting here foaming at the mouth, I know that they’re probably right. Triumph is out there coming up with new motocross bikes, A2 bikes and even electric bikes. As I’d start ranting about how nobody was asking for this, I’d instantly realise that nobody really was asking for a Daytona either. An all new 765 supersport would be incredible, but supersport market in Europe is a dead horse that Triumph is not willing to beat. Meanwhile, the racers that do crave the Triumph triples have been successfully converting new Street Triples into track bikes for years. The gap has already been filled.

On the big boy side, the 1200cc engine that would suit a Daytona superbike wouldn’t even be admissible in any serious racing series. A bad-ass bike it would certainly be, but a true rebel without a cause. A racer without even the slightest chance of glory. What exactly would be the point?

That being said, all of the above is true for this new DaYtOnA as well. It is not fit for the Supersport 300 class and would get absolutely murdered in any other class. So again, what exactly is the point?

To end on a high note, besides just being a fine bike that has been wrongly named, I can see one other good thing happening here. Bikes like this one and the Yamaha R7, the Aprilia RS660, the CBR650r and the Kawasaki parallel twins may lure a portion of next generation of bikers away from naked bikes. This relatively young class of bikes may, in time, reinvigorate Supersports and Superbike interest. As things stand, this might be the only route to one day getting the Daytona that we deserve.

LiveWire S2 Del Mar First Ride

Post author:RW
Post published:20 December 2023

We Meet At Last

Years ago, we first laid eyes on the concept drawings for a flat tracker styled, electric Harley Davidson motorcycle. We were instantly captivated. The idea of this behemoth of the church of internal combustion attempting something this far left of centre was just wild.

Early Impressions

Earlier this year we attended the European launch of the LiveWire S2 Del Mar. After years of polishing, this was the result of that original idea. Did it meet our expectations? Were we still as excited as we had been years ago? Yes, if not more. The machine looked stunning. A masterclass in simplistic, well balanced design. As the looks were spot on, we’re happy to report that the hardware was too. Now all that had to happen was to ride the damn thing.

Watch our first impression of the LiveWire S2 Del Mar on YouTube.

First Ride

Good news! Fast forward about a year and the first Del Mars have been delivered to customers in the US. Europe will still have to wait a little while, but we did finally get to ride the new LiveWire in the real world.

Which brings us neatly along to the bad news. While the big boys got to take the Del Mar out in sunny Spain a week or so earlier, our first taste of the LiveWire S2 Del Mar was scheduled for a freezing cold, rainy day in mid-December. We really need to step up our game…

But as the horrors persist, so do we.

The Gear

Seeing the Del Mar in the flesh once again only strengthens our belief that this might well be one of the best looking bikes in years. In the realm of quality all seems to be well and truly in order. The physical controls are straight off other modern Harley products and are therefore about as intuitive as they get. This should go without saying, as HD’s customer base is 99% geriatric. We find the indicator switch a bit dicky, but that is all.

The dash, rider modes and menus are simple, easy and elegant. But importantly, everything is there. There is a full suite of ABSesses, 6 axis traction controllery and all the labels say Showa, Brembo, Bosch and what not. The Del Mar get its updates over the air and there is a dedicated app that connects with the bike to provide the rider with navigation and other such gizmos.

The Go

If I had to describe the feel of the bike in a single word, it would be solid. It almost feels like it was milled from a single block of aluminium. Being electric helps achieve this, as there is simply not much going on in the way of moving parts. There is a brake lever, a brake pedal and the suspension does some suspensioning. That is pretty much it. The minimalist design finishes this trick off nicely. What isn’t there, can’t be flimsy.

The ride is fine, the seat itself is more comfy than it looks and the seating position even accommodates for my giant physique. The power delivery is linear as anything, but we would not expect otherwise. There is very noticeable change in grunt and throttle response (yeah, we’ll just call it that) between all different rider modes. While all of them provided us with proper acceleration, today, they also provided us with all the TC warnings in the world. The Del Mar feels rapid off the line, but not insanely so. It might have been smothered a bit by the traction control though. We have no way of knowing, really.

So, What Are We Looking At Here?

We are looking at a very beautiful, well built, pretty quick, reasonably priced, competitively specced, electric motorcycle. The Del Mar delivers on all fronts. More importantly, it delivers where all predecessors and competitors have failed. It is cool.

So I Should Get One?

Well, if you ride loads and are looking to replace your GS Adventure, then no. The Del Mar’s range is competitive, but it will still not get you very far (170km/105miles max.). Add to that the lack of fast charging and in reality, it will not work for you.

But I Am A Barista.

That does change everything. If you regularly oil your beard, this might just be all your Christmases rolled into one. Jokes aside, city traffic, short rides and commutes are where it is at for this bike. And yes, I would seriously consider buying one for these purposes. It will not replace the Speed Triple any time soon, but it is just so cool…

Hopes, Dreams & Predictions

Post author:RW
Post published:24 February 2023

RunningWide’s Crystal Ball for 2023

Can you feel it? That night-before-Christmas-like giddiness. Winter is nearing its end and that means that it is about time to get sucked into a brand new season of motorcycle racing. This very weekend, the World Superbike Championship is going to kick us off in Australia. By the time MotoGP and BSB join in at the end of March, the WSBK boys will already be six races (2 race weekends) into the season.

Trying to predict the outcome of a full season of motorsports ahead of time is nonsense, as it should be. History has proven time and time again that literally anything can happen. That being said, because our guess is as good as the next man’s, we will happily pitch in. Step right up as RunningWide takes you through some of our hopes, dreams and predictions for this season.

WSSP

Opening with the World Supersport Championship, our hopes are that this class will be the best watch of all four discussed here. It will deliver us with a lovely blend of Ducati V2s, 600cc four bangers from Kawasaki, Yamaha and Honda and the three cylinder MV Agustas. Main event for us being the glorious sound of the Triumph 765 triples. We might be biased.

For our dream pick, we’d consider Can Öncü, just because we can never quite forget what he showed us in 2018. But, as we glance past the Ten Kate team’s rider lineup, our true prince catches our eye. Glenn van Straalen. Our dream pick for the WSSP class has to be the Dutchman who had such a good showing last season. If Van Straalen could again be up there, fighting for podiums or even wins, we’d be jumping on the sofa, foaming at the mouth.

The predictions then. If we turn out to be wrong, don’t sue us. The boys on the Ten Kate machines, Manzi and Navarro, are bound to be up there. The team has a winning bike and a pretty good track record of putting the right riders on it. The betting man, we suspect, is going to put his money on Nicolo Bulega. Ducati have got their ducks in a row all across the board and Bulega appears to be on point too. If we were going to call it, and we are, he is taking it home this season. Plus, he looks like a young Arnold Schwarzenegger, so there is that.

WSBK

Our hope for the World Superbike Championship is that Ducati doesn’t get away with it too easily. We are totally fine with the three-way battles we have seen the last season. Alvaro Bautista becoming even more dominant would lead to very boring races indeed. Do not let that little dude escape without a good fight, is what we’re saying.

Choosing a dream champion for this class is a bit like having to choose which finger you’d like to keep. As much as we love Razgatlioglu, Lowes, Redding, Petrucci, Van der Mark and Aegerter, the dream choice would be reigning British Superbike champion, Brad Ray. In our opinion, people that do not like Ray simply cannot be trusted. It will remain a fantasy though, for now. Damn you Bradley Ray not doing a full season.

Predictions? Well, it is just going to be the tiny Spaniard, isn’t it?

Someone give this man a full ride, plz k thnx

MOTO2

As far as hopes go for this class, we just can’t wait to hear the Triumph 765s come screaming past in Assen. Oh noise, glorious noise…

Celestino Vietti takes the honor of being RunningWide’s dream champion for the class. Reason being that seeing Vietti finish a race on the top step again, would make us want to pinch ourselves. After starting out last season in high spirits, he had eight DNFs under his belt by the time it wrapped up. Still, he is mighty fast when he can find the right buttons to push and we figure he deserves a break from being (great) meme-material.

As for the championship, we would like to say it will be Ai Ogura this time around. With our heads on the block though, we would chicken out at the last second and give it to Aron Canet or maybe even Dennis Foggia. Wait, no! Pedro Acosta will have to be the one.

Who can predict Moto2 anyway? Could be Sam Lowes you know…

MOTOGP

The top class of motorcycle racing has been immensely entertaining for the last couple of years. The bikes are generally quite close and the riders are very competitive. It really doesn’t leave much to be desired. But, as we discussed in an earlier article, we do feel that one tiny little thing has been missing. The King.

Our hope for this year’s MotoGP season leads us nicely to our dream champion too. We have honestly never been huge fans of Marc Marquez, the person. That said, there is absolutely no denying the otherworldly class of Marc Marquez, the rider. After all he has had to endure over the last three seasons, we reckon his determination alone could sink a battle ship. The fantasy of a fighting fit number 93 returning makes us feel all silly inside. We cannot wait to see Marc Marquez go full-blown Thanos on this grid.

Our prediction then? Surely, Honda is nowhere near ready to take a championship. The safer bets are Bagnaia, Quartararo or maybe Bestia. But you know what? We know the bike is utter dog dirt, we know he’s not the same old champ. But we’re going to go out on a limb here and predict that this season will mark the return of the King. Marquez it is.

We Need Gods To Slay

Post author:RW
Post published:11 August 2022

For the past couple of years, MotoGP fans have seemingly been utterly spoiled. On the starting grid today we find the prototype racers of 6 major manufacturers. All of these bikes have proven beyond doubt to be podium-worthy and even race-winning machines. The gaps between the factory teams and independent squads have diminished so that we frequently see independent riders on pole, on the podium and even on the top step. For the riders themselves, a similar story applies. Take a look at the results for the 2021 season and you will find that of the 22 riders on the grid, only six have not been on the podium during that season. Three of those six riders have finished in the top five, and one is Valentino Rossi closing in on well-deserved retirement.

The Perfect Show

The modern-day fan of the premiere class in motorcycle racing then, is given exactly what a his or her heart desires; An utterly competitive show, where all athletes and equipment are more or less on par with one another. We have cheered at the brazen, race-winning, rides of rookies. We have witnessed the rise of reigning champion Fabio Quartararo and the many impeccable (excuse the pun) rides of Pecco Bagnaia. Joan Mir and his Suzuki claimed the crown in 2020 and Aprilia seems to have finally found its feet in the current season. Certainly then, there is no shortage of qualified candidates. The analysts, critics and pundits predicting the outcome of a race weekend are left to guesswork, at best.

The Problem

Oddly, while my favourite sport has been ticking the boxes like never before, I find myself becoming less and less interested. While in previous years I would have called in sick for dinner with Margot Robbie to watch a MotoGP race on the couch, I now regularly miss a race or catch it later on rewatch. Meanwhile, WSBK (the World Superbike Championship) claims to be more exciting than ever and given that I too watch almost every race, they might be right. In truth, WSBK at this point is a three-horse-race. But what is happening over there does adhere to more classical storytelling devices. For all intents and purposes, Jonathan Rea represents its old king, Toprak Razgatlıoğlu is its young knight and logical heir to the throne, while Alvaro Bautista acts as the menacing usurper from a neighbouring realm. It truly translates to a showdown of epic proportions.

All Davids, No Goliath

In MotoGP however, there seems to be a bit of a power vacuum. The era of Valentino Rossi has firmly come to an end and his rightful successor, Marc Marquez, has been out of office for a considerable stretch. Thus, while all the ingredients for a historical saga are there, a storyline, unfortunately, is not. The battlefield now features an awful lot of Davids, but no real Goliath to defeat. All are noble and fierce warriors, yes. But when no true king inhabits the throne, there is no real kingdom there to conquer.

So, while MotoGP appears to offer every single thing we, the fans, have ever dreamt of, I fear the recovery of Marc Marquez is the only key to making something realy great transform into something truly epic. If only to provide the next in line God-King with a head to take…

A Disturbance in the Force

Post author:RW
Post published:16 June 2022

Men… Middle-aged, bearded, tattooed, leather-clad, bandana loving, chrome-licking, insecure, overcompensating men. Harley Davidson’s target demographic in a nutshell, according to my upbringing. Hence, I have never taken them too seriously. Strangely though, I find myself becoming more and more attracted to them. The brand, that is, not the men.

You see, the social circle I grew up in never cared much for the American bikes. Nobody seemed to ever pay them any mind. After all, riding a Harley was not real riding, was it? Horse riding would come closer to riding a ‘real’ motorcycle than riding a Harley would. At least, that is what I had been lead to believe.

Have you felt it?

There is a disturbance in the force though. Have you felt it? A couple of years ago the Milwaukeeans put down their Miller Lites, had a think, and came up with the LiveWire. An electric motorcycle for the future, created by the company that had otherwise been firmly stuck in the distant past. Harley fanatics all over the world gasped and clutched their bandanas. This thing did not go ploppity plop plop, this was madness!

Attacking the EV motorcycle market was a bold strategy, but in my mind it paid off. It showed the world that Harley and the Davidsons were capable of thinking outside of the box. The LiveWire was not particularly pretty to me, but is was certainly an interesting machine. As of today, the LiveWire still comes out on top of most EV motorcycle tests. Harley must have been serious about the project then.

Then came the Pan America. A big, full-blown adventure bike carrying the all new Revolution engine. As many other brands had already produced big V-twins that were smooth, powerful and could rev, there really wasn’t much of a revolution. To see that Harley could produce an engine that actually belonged in this century, now that was a revelation.

Read about our thoughts on the HD Pan America HERE

A New Hope

The looks of the Pan America have proved to be divisive, but I love that thing. As do I love the looks of the all new Sportster S, which also carries the Revolution engine. It looks like a big fun brawler with its fat tyres and LED bar headlight. It also comes well equipped, with Bluetooth from this millennium and Brembo’s that could actually stop the thing. So what exactly is going on? Is Harley Davidson, the motorcycle world’s awkward uncle, suddenly one of the cool kids?

To answer that question, have a good look at their latest bike. The LiveWire Del Mar just launched as their second attempt at an electric motorcycle and I just need one. Though LiveWire is marketed as a stand-alone brand nowadays, we are not fooled. The Del Mar is styled to resemble an old school dirt track bike and it looks utterly delicious.

This latest addition takes the score to a total of four out of four new HD bikes that I think are deeply cool. Maybe I will have to become a Harley Davidson guy one day. Maybe pigs will fly one day, who knows…

Yamaha Ténéré 700 Rally Edition

Post author:RW
Post published:9 June 2022

For a three day adventure on Yamaha’s Ténéré 700 Rally Edition, we went to the first place nobody ever thinks of; Lithuania. Our friends at OffroadLitouwen.nl (offroadlithuania.com) run five of these top spec T700s for their guided tours around the, surprisingly beautiful, Lithuanian countryside. While our host, Rik, taught us the fine art of off-roading, we got to familiarize ourselves with the Yamaha. More on the whole trip will follow. First, let’s talk about that Ténéré.

What is it?

The Ténéré is labelled as an adventure bike, but that class of bikes has become quite a broad spectrum over the years. It covers everything from the full fat BMW GS1200 Adventure (260kg) to the comparably tiny Honda CRF300L Rally (153kg). The T700 takes its place slap bang in the middle of the current adventure bike line-up. While, at 204kg, it is still a pretty heavy bike, it is considerably lighter than most other middleweight competitors. Though, for all its off-roady looks and light weight, a motocross bike it is not.

Inherently, adventure bikes try to be two things at once. They offer the comfort of a big tourer, while claiming off road capabilities. It is generally easy to spot where the manufacturer’s focus lies, as you will likely not encounter many Multistradas in the woods. Yamaha’s marketing lizard people wax lyrical about the Dakar history of the brand. The Rally Edition in particular is kitted out with a cool looking skid plate and whatever off-road grips are supposed to be. One would expect this Ténéré to be brilliant in the dirt then…

Does it deliver?

The power plant is the 700cc parallel twin we know from the MT07. In the Ténéré, it is an absolute peach. There is no need to do anything as vulgar as to compare torque figures. All you need to know is that this thing is almost like a tractor. You point the bike at any hill and it will happily chitty chitty bang you towards the top of it. It is friendly, it is predictable and very capable where it matters the most.

The whole combination of engine, chassis and electronics make for a machine that feels utterly trustworthy. All the controls are where you would expect them to be and none of them annoyed me, which is pretty high praise. The bike is slim, it feels light and nimble on the move. It was incredibly easy to chuck it about or to perform massive slides. In just three days it made me feel like a Dakar champion. Note, it made me feel like one. I probably should not be trusted to make it out of a toddlers’ sandbox.

In the video we did with OffroadLitouwen you can see that we took the bikes through all types of terrain. From the muddy, backwoods single tracks to the wide, swooping gravel roads, the T700 made it perfectly doable for a beginning dirt muncher such as myself. Off course there were a couple of spills, but they were certainly not the bike’s fault. If anything, it saved us many more times than we could save it.

Having mainly ridden the mighty middleweight in the dirt, I don’t honestly feel that I can judge the bike for its on road capabilities. Besides, it was on pretty aggressive off road tires for the short distances we did do on tarmac. I would be very surprised if it turned out to be a total dog though. Taking into account the short distances travelled and the tires, it felt as capable as it had off road. At the very least, it is going to be good enough.

Should we all want one then?

Want? Yes. Need? No. If you are that explorer that wants to travel great distances, away from paved roads or society, then yeah, you probably do want one. If your rides take place exclusive on tarmac, I would believe that you are missing the point of this bike. Then again, if you just like the way it looks, I could not fault you for wanting one anyway. You really could do much worse.

Any downsides? Honestly, nothing major springs to mind. Maybe the seat could be slightly more comfortable? Though I almost feel ungrateful for even mentioning it. My butt only outstayed its welcome on the T700’s seat at the end of day three. For something this focused on off-roading to be as comfortable as it is should really be a praised.

The Yamaha Ténéré 700 is a deeply impressive machine. It comes pretty close to dethroning the humble Labrador as man’s best friend.