Opinion: Straight Talk From the Motorcycle World

When Kawasaki bought into struggling boutique manufacturer Bimota at the end of 2019, the motorcycle world was divided. To some, it looked like yet another attempt to keep an Italian cult brand alive on artificial life support. To others, it was an intriguing industrial experiment. Six years later, the sober conclusion is clear: the plan is working – and better than many expected.

Too heavy, too expensive, too much motorcycle? Hardly a conversation at a bike hangout goes by these days without those three accusations being aimed at the modern adventure bike. Parking lots are packed with tall, do-it-all machines, flagship prices are brushing the EUR 30,000 mark – and manufacturers keep adding more. So has the adventure category reached its peak?

It used to be simple. Say “Paris–Dakar,” and the image was instant: dust in your hair, compass in hand, and a route that stitched Europe to Africa.

Today the rally runs entirely inside Saudi Arabia, uses digital navigation, and is dominated by high-tech prototypes — yet it still carries the Dakar name. Is that justified? Yes. But the more interesting question is what was gained — and what quietly disappeared.

The Australian Grand Prix is getting a new home. Beginning in 2027, MotoGP will leave Phillip Island and relocate to Adelaide — to a street circuit.

Officially, it’s a business and political decision. Unofficially, it raises a more emotional question inside the paddock: does a street race truly fit the premier class of motorcycle racing?