Newsworthy – 2nd June 2015

It seemed like internet hype at first glance but rumors are gathering momentum that BMW is to produce a line of bikes based around the successful R nineT model – the first of which is likely to a ‘scrambler’ model late in 2015. No official images or details have been released by BMW but, well, no smoke without fire, right?

Although built and sold in relatively limited numbers, the retro R nineT has been a big seller for BMW so it stands to reason the German firm will build on that success. Not to mention jump even further onboard the good ship retro, with a 1200-based, paired-down, unfaired big trailie that harks back glory Dakar days.

The image above is a mock-up via an Italian designer Oberdan Bezzi and is clearly based on the older, air-cooled 1200GS engine and chassis designs.

Rumor has it a scrambler model will arrive by the end of 2015, no doubt in time for the major motorcycle shows in Europe. Scrambler models already sit in the Ducati, Triumph, Moto Morini line-ups and to be honest it’s no surprise to see BMW is harking back to its own off-road heyday with a retro (kinda) dirt bike.

The new bike is likely to house the older, air-cooled 1200cc engine just as the R nineT does but we’re crossing fingers the current water-cooled motor will power a mighty Baja beast. We live in hope, if not in vain. What money on it being labeled the S-crambleR? Or how about Scram-Bler.

For more of Oberdan’s super cool retro mock-ups click here.

You may have noticed that we really like an inspirational travel video and this week is no different. Big thanks have to go out to Daniel Greening for this really, really cool video looking for the highest vehicle worthy road on earth. It starts slow so give it time, you won’t regret it.

For the blog and back story click here.

Dunlop’s new TrailSmart follows the current trend for more road-biased tyres for the adventure bike market. It replaces the TR91 which wasn’t actually that old (launched in 2011) but the adventure bike market is fast evolving so Dunlop has updated to meet demand, as with so many tyre manufactures these days.

The compound is actually more or less the same as Dunlop’s Roadsmart II, which is a good tyre, but obviously doesn’t even blink in the direction of dirt. All of which points to a slightly sad state of affairs doesn’t it?

With bikes like the KTM 1290 Adventure arriving on the scene with stacks of power and agility, plus a realization that so many adventure riders spend more time on the Tarmac than the dirt (sadly), the tyre market is having to change to meet demand. Or at least tyre manufacturer model line-ups have had to adjust.

In our view the look of the TrailSmart is all-too road-biased. There are adventure tyres on the market which look the part and grip immensely well on the road and dirt so why Dunlop has opted for such a mundane tread pattern has us scratching our heads. It begs the question why adventure bike owners want tyres that look so road biased? Is it us demanding the tyres or is it tyre manufacturers dictating? In our experience it is tyre manufacturers meeting demand.

We remain slightly baffled why there’s an increasing trend for more road-looking tyres but we look forward to putting them through their paces soon.

www.dunlop.com/trailsmart

Did you like this article? Brake is an independent magazine, producing free content online. We aim to make detailed, honest, quality content. The downside being that it comes at a cost. If you would like to support our reviews and travel stories, you can do so for a little as the cost of a coffee. Thanks for reading!