News Cycles: December 14, 2018

Dec 14, 2018

Welcome to News Cycles, Common Tread’s roundup of what’s happening on our servers and everywhere else. Every Friday, look for a collection of news, stories, and all things moto from around the web. This week: KTM eyes Ducati, the U.S. Senate talks motorcycles, and a monstrous BMW engine.

KTM CEO Stefan Pierer: If VW sold Ducati, KTM would be interested

In an interview with Speedweek, Stefan Pierer talks about adding Ducati to the company's holdings if Volkswagen were to let it go. KTM picked up Husqvarna from BMW in a similar situation. VW has its hands full at the moment, and selling off Ducati could let them focus on solving larger issues, suggests Pierer. He also mentions an upcoming 500 twin produced by Bajaj. The interview is in German, but Google Translate is your friend if you're not multilingual.

motorcycle group ride — The Senate talks about equal treatment for motorcyclists. Skeeze photo via Creative Commons.

U.S. Senate discusses "motorcycle profiling"

The U.S. Senate unanimously passed Res. 154, which “promotes increased public awareness of motorcycle profiling, encourages collaboration and communication with the motorcycle community and law enforcement to engage in efforts to end motorcycle profiling, [and] urges state law enforcement officials to include statements condemning motorcycle profiling in written policies and training materials.” In other words, law enforcement should not treat people differently because they ride or are associated with riders. The elimination of motorcycle-only checkpoints in 2015, for example, was a previous advance in this conversation. While the resolution can’t force an agency to follow their policies, it’s a big step forward for equal treatment of road users.

Can J.D. Beach accomplish the rarest feat in American motorcycle racing?

Mark Gardiner investigates J.D. Beach’s odds of winning a race on all five kinds of tracks used in the old Grand National series, back when flat-track and road racing were combined in one series. If he can pull it off, he’ll be in good company. Only Dick Mann, Kenny Roberts, Bubba Shobert, and Doug Chandler ever managed such a feat of versatility in their careers.

Custom Works Zon's The Departed — "The Departed" by Custom Works Zon. BMW photo.

Will BMW really build a large-displacement cruiser?

BMW unveiled a new concept engine at the Mooneyes show in Japan, with a custom bike built around it by Custom Works ZON. The new engine is rumored to have an 1,800 cc displacement, but what would BMW stuff such a lump in? Lance weighs their options.

knit a Yamaha Niken — Strange, but spot-on. Yamaha photo.

Yamaha offers free plans to knit a tiny plush Niken, because the weirdness never ends

Last year, Yamaha revealed its latest origami motorcycle after 20 years of new models. The weird but wonderful Yamaha origami section closed down on September 30 after 20 years of papercraft. Come on, Yamaha, I never finished my V-Max! In its place is something even stranger: official Yamaha plans for a little Niken you can… knit? Truly bizarre, but if you’re looking for a winter project, or a last-minute gift for the Niken owner in your life, have at it!

Thanks for reading; that's all for this week! If you've got feedback or moto news you'd like to share, shoot an e-mail to commontread@revzilla.com. Check back for more News Cycles every Friday.