The new-bike show season continues, with another crop of new models just announced at the EICMA show in Milan. Eric, Garrett and Pete discuss the hottest (and in a few cases, not so remarkable) new models for 2017, plus a couple of concept bikes you may or may not ever find at your dealer. It’s no surprise that we disagree on a few of ’em, but we do so politely, of course. Bonus Galactica 1980 reference.
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You know, I ride a Suzuki dual sport, so I know they’re capable of routing the exhaust out of harms way, but for some reason they refuse to do that on the DL series. Ducati looks like they made some effort to get the front pipe on the V-twin tucked away quickly, but on the DL250 parallel twin (perfect opportunity for a scrambler high pipe)? Nope. They’ve even put on the sweatpants and stopped mounting the exhaust can up high. It’s the tell that gives the DLs away as pretenders, 95% street 5% gravel. Ooh, it’s got a beak, it must be an Adventure bike!
What is the DL250 for? With 17 inch rims front and back it pretends to be a motard, but it’s not a motard. Is it an adventure bike? What kind of adventure can you have on it that the CRF250L can’t take you on and then carve berms all afternoon? Not a dual sport, not a touring bike (the 650s and 1000s are perfect touring bikes, btw), not a dirt bike, not a motard… it’s a 250 street bike in AdvDrag.
Yep, that pretty much sums it up!