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Real motorcycles get dirty.
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Welcome to the Throttle and Roast podcast. I'm your host, Niels Meersschaert. In today's episode, we'll look at some of the ADV and off-road news as we come into the 2026 riding season.
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I'll cover some new bikes, some special offers, and a unique offering you may not be aware of.
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So we're going to start with an Italian middleweight.
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That's right, the Ducati Desert X, now with the V2 motor. Now, if you compare this to the outgoing model, it is ever so slightly lighter because of the new engine at about 461 versus 463 pounds. Now, mind you, Ducati measures their curb weight with an empty tank, but with all the other fluids. It's kind of a weird way, but this is what they do, but at least we're comparing apples. We're comparing apples to apples to apples, so it's about a two pound difference. new model uses the same V2 engine across the entire line. So you'll see this in other bikes. You'll see it in the monster. You'll see it in some of the other models that they've been moving into this V2 engine. And the big difference that you're going to see with this is there's no more Desmo valves. It's using a more traditional spring-based valve train, which does mean that these bikes get a longer service interval. And that is probably the biggest difference that you'll see with the Ducati models today. In the old days, it was always a nightmare to have the bike serviced regularly over and over and over again.
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And doing a Desmo valve job was a really challenging endeavor.
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So the more valve springs is making this a little bit simpler for maintenance. So even though the motor is different, It's essentially the same power with the 110hp and 68ftlb of torque with a slightly smaller 890 cc engine than the outgoing model.
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Now, the other big thing that's really an advantage for this fitting into its purpose of being more of a mid-sized adventure bike is that the fuel tank carries its weight a little bit lower and this should help avoid some of that top-heavy feeling off-road and make this bike feel more like some of the other competitors in this class.
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Now, 4.8 gallons won't compete with a GS adventure, but it is more than adequate for all but a handful of places around the world. 9.1 inches of travel from the 46 millimeter fork with full adjustment of preload, rebound and compression dampening in the front, along with 8.7 inches out back with the same full adjustability. also redesigned the ergonomics to have a little bit more aggressive body position with more rearward pegs and forward handlebars so you take that more of that attack position as you sit on the bike.
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A 6-axis IMU and a new 5-inch horizontal TFT display, along with six riding modes, round out some of the electronic updates on this bike. 21-inch front wheel and 18-inch rear are much more off-road focused than the Multistrada models, really positioning this bike as it's the Ducati if you actually want to get off-road.
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Now, if you're looking at that Ducati, and it's a beautiful looking bike, it definitely has that rally fairing to the front. But there's another bike that's been around for quite a while that has a similar styling from one of the Japanese makes, and that's the Yamaha Tenere. Coming now to the US, finally, will be the Yamaha Tenere 700 World Raid.
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Now, this is GSA version, if you will, of the Tenere. And while the basic Tenere 700 is a great machine, there are some features that riders felt needed some improvement. And the biggest issue, of course, was the bargain suspension that was on the base model. The World Raid has 46-millimeter front forks with an extra inch of travel, jumping it up to 9.1 inches, which is the same as that Ducati Desert X. And the rear is also bumped up an inch to 8.6 inches, which is nearly the same as that Desert X. So these bikes are very, very close when it comes to suspension travel. Now both the front and the rear on the Tenere 700 World Raid are fully adjustable, just like on the Ducati Desert X, and that cheap looking LCD display has been replaced with a full TFT. It's still vertically oriented, so it does still have that higher view than horizontal that we see on the new Desert X, which may still annoy a few people because it does block a little bit of visibility up through the front, but it is still a really unique and cool looking It also incorporates a 6-axis with lean sensitive traction control, slide control, and ABS.
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RIDE-by-Wire also gives this bike ride modes and cruise control, and it has better LED headlights. Now perhaps the most visually noticeable feature, and why I alluded that this is sort of like the GSA version of the Tenere, is it has a new 6.1 gallon tank, offering 1.8 gallons more capacity than a standard Tenere. Now this will give you more range for those round-the-world trips. Of course, the Tenere 700 being a much smaller engine than, let's say, the BMW R1300 GS, will be a little bit more frugal when it comes to fuel usage. That's a little bit more. So even though it is down on capacity from a full GSA, they probably will get quite similar in terms of overall fuel economy ranges. Now when you hear about all these updates, you might be thinking, wow, this is really cool. It's probably going to cost a fortune comparatively. and in fact, for many Tenere owners, one of the biggest problems they had is having to replace the suspension.
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Not just in acquiring new forks, new rear shock was expensive just to purchase them, but then you had to get them installed as well. And if you weren't a home mechanic, that could be adding in a significant amount of additional cost to you. So it wasn't unusual for people to be spending $2, 000 to $3, 000 just getting the suspension sorted on the Tenere 700. Now the World Raid comes in just $2, 000 more than a regular Tenere, but with all of these additional improvements. The additional electronics, the better LED headlights, the ride-by-wire, the larger tank, et cetera. All of these things have been improved.
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Now we all know that KTM has been bought by Bajaj. many customers have been complaining about some CAM issues with the 890-based bikes and various other warranty issues for a number of years at this point.
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So with most of the bikes only having 12 to maybe 24 months warranty from the factory, the"ready to race" philosophy often felt more like a "ready to repair" mindset. So Bajaj saw fit to extend the warranty on nearly all 2026 models to four years. Now, this should help bring buyers back into dealerships, and it may counter any lingering concerns about longevity that some people may have about KTM and Husqvarna.
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And the last bike that I want to cover is one that isn't brand new for 2026. It actually came out last year. But I think a large majority of riders are probably completely unaware that this bike or even this brand even exists. is a small manufacturer based in New Hampshire in the Northeast United States and they're producing a decidedly unique two-wheel drive motorcycle.
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That's right, two-wheel drive.
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The front wheel is also driven.
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Now, the Rokon Ranger is a unique bike that can pretty much go anywhere and haul a ton of gear while doing it. And it's been around for quite a while in an off-road only form. last year, they added indicators and lights front and rear, a speedometer, horn, mirrors, everything needed to make it 50-state road legal.
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Now, keep off the interstate, though, because it's only a 208-cc engine producing just seven horsepower. So your top speed is limited to about 37 miles an hour. But if you need to work on your property hauling logs or even clearing The Rokan is basically a two-wheel ATV able to tow 2000 pounds and climb 60-degree grades. It's a really unique motorcycle.
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Now I'll have links to the Rokon Ranger as well as some of the other bikes that we've covered, the Ducati Desert X, the Yamaha Tenere World Raid, and of course the update into the warranty expansion for both KTM and Husky. So my question for you this week is, do one of the bikes whet your appetite for a new bike in 2026? What about the warranty extension for KTM and Husky? Share your thoughts through the text to show link in the show notes or leave a voicemail at throttle and roast dot com slash voicemail. Thanks for listening. I'll talk to you next week.
