News Cycles: December 7, 2018

Dec 07, 2018

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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: no more 'Busas, an R 1200 GS-powered weirdo, and the unkillable Ural.

Is 2019 the end of the Hayabusa?

Common Tread hasn’t been able to confirm this news, but Bennett’s of the UK reports that production of the Suzuki Hayabusa ends on December 31, 2018. Remaining stock will be sold through 2019. Unable to pass the latest EURO emissions standards, it’s not much of a surprise. If you’ve dreamed about dragging home a gleaming new Hayabusa, but you’ve put it off for 20 straight years, this is your last chance at glory and self-realization. Easy New Year’s resolution, along with maybe seeing someone about that procrastination problem.

Strangest R 1200 GS build of all time: Ferox Azaris

An Australian company built this, uh, bug with wheels around a BMW R 1200 GS. The engine powers a “liquid drive” system (concept-speak for hydraulics, which you may have heard of) that powers its six wheels. I know, it’s not a motorcycle, but it’s not much of a car either, is it? Common Tread can neither confirm nor deny sightings of this vehicle at an Australian Starbucks.

Read/scratch head more.

2019 Triumph Speed Twin first look

Triumph’s unveiled their new Speed Twin, one of the most performance-oriented Modern Classics yet. Just another twin, or one of the best models yet?

Video: The 1986 Finke Desert Race

Still raced today, the Finke Desert Race is a brutal scramble across Australia’s Northern Territory. Silodrome dug up some old coverage of the race, and it’s well worth a watch. Two-strokes ruled the Finke motorcycle class, but even with a cutting-edge machine, there was no guarantee of seeing the finish line. Highlights include Australian accents, Australian mustaches, and very broken motorcycles.

Erik Buell Racing exhumed again, again

Erik Buell Racing, or rather a zombie version of the company, is building “new” EBR 1190 motorcycles out of parts left over from liquidiation. They’ll be more expensive than they used to be, as they’re hand-assembled by old EBR employees, who probably said something like, “Alright, one last job…” before picking up their tools and getting back to work. “The approach is to keep it boutique and high performance driven, ala Bugatti, Koenigsegg, or Lotus,” according to current EBR head Bill Melvin.

Ural Gear UP — All these years later, Ural is still going. Tyler Blakely photo.

How Ural survived its own apocalypse

Mark Gardiner interviews Ural CEO Ilya Khait, diving into the company’s history of sticking with what they do best: boxers and sidecars. He also (carefully but thoroughly) tests the only 2019 Gear Up model in the United States, the ultimate evolution of Ural’s continuous improvement.

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.