The 2021 variant of the BMW R18 is an epic cruiser bike, with a large 1,800cc boxer twin engine that produces a tremendous torque amount. BMW knows the advantages of this bike to heart and plans to release a few variations of this bike. The spotlight today is on the fully-faired variant of the R18.
Some sources found out about BMW’s new trademarks that suggest that the mentioned variant will have a Transcontinental tagline. Well, the naming fits the full fairing and luggage space, which would make for a killer touring motorcycle.
Also, there have been numerous leaks of the fairing added to R18, similar to ones found on Harley-Davidson bikes. Still, BMW always has surprises for us.
Other than the mentioned features, the R18 bike won’t change dramatically, with the engine and chassis staying the same. The bike will have more weight, that’s for sure. Nevertheless, it will certainly be an epic bike to hit the highway with.
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Cardo is one of the biggest players in the Bluetooth headset market, mainly due to its partnership with JBL. Due to this fruitful partnership, Cardo headsets feature the best sound quality, and it’s no different with the Freecom 4 Plus.
Our Cardo Freecom 4 Plus Bluetooth headset review will quickly go through its main features, focusing on the benefits you may get with it. At the end of our review, you will see if it is worth your money or not?
Let’s start with our review now, shall we?
Cardo Freecom 4 Plus Bluetooth Headset Review – Features
Here is a quick overview of the main features of the Cardo Freecom 4 Plus Bluetooth headset:
Without further ado, let’s delve deeper into the main features of the Freecom 4 Plus!
Design & Installation
This video shows how to install the Cardo Freecom 4 Plus on any type of helmet!
Cardo Freecom 4 Plus is designed explicitly for full-face and modular helmets. If you want to install this Bluetooth communication device on an open face helmet, you will need to buy a specialized open face helmet kit.
Right out of the box, you can see the device itself, with three buttons and a speed dial dominating the design. These tactile features enable functionalities such as:
Toggling between smartphone music and built-in FM radio
Music sharing to other Bluetooth headsets
Answering phone calls
Creating and connecting to the intercom
Adjusting volume and changing tunes or radio stations
Along with the motorcycle Bluetooth communication unit itself, you will also get a cradle, JBL speakers, and microphones (boom mic for modular and open face helmets and corded mic for full-face helmets) that you can install in the helmet. You will install the cradle on the helmet exterior, where you can attach the Bluetooth headset easily. It’s simple to detach it if you need to charge it or store it elsewhere.
For microphone and speaker installation, there are six Velcro patches included in the box.
Bluetooth Pairing
This video shows how to pair Cardo Freecom 4 Plus to a smartphone or GPS device!
Bluetooth 4.1. compatibility features two channels, which means that you can connect the Freecom 4 Plus with two devices simultaneously. For example, you can pair this Bluetooth headset with a smartphone and a GPS device simultaneously.
Note: Cardo Freecom 4 Plus supports both Android and iOS devices.
To connect the Freecom 4 Plus headset to a smartphone, you will need to download the Cardo App, either from Google Play or App Store. Then, just hold down the button with the call icon for five seconds. After the lights blink red and blue, this is the prompt that the headset is in pairing mode.
When you are paired with your smartphone, you can utilize GPS navigation, mainly via voice commands, but more on that later. Along with that, smartphone pairing enables you to make and receive calls, as well as end them.
This video shows how to pair Freecom 4 Plus with three other Bluetooth headsets!
The Freecom 4 Plus allows you to connect to four riders simultaneously. You can have all the participants in the same call or make private calls with individual members. Be mindful of how many Bluetooth channels you are using. If you are utilizing both of them, you might not be able to get incoming calls from your paired smartphone.
Connecting to non-Cardo devices is effortless, but you should also be mindful of available Bluetooth channels, as Freecom 4 Plus is visible as a smartphone. So, if a non-Cardo device has only one Bluetooth channel, it should stay reserved for the Freecom 4 Plus.
Connection Range
When you connect to the intercom, the maximum attainable range between riders is up to 0,75 miles (1,2 kilometers). Of course, this is an idealistic number, which will honestly be realistic if you are riding on an empty highway. Disturbances like hills, heavy traffic, trees, and buildings will impact the Bluetooth signal negatively.
In cases where there are many disturbances, the range will be quite low, being around 500 meters. Nevertheless, when the intercom connection is stable, it won’t lag behind, so you can expect real-time conversations, which is a huge breather!
Now that we are talking about the intercom functionality, there is a slight issue that doesn’t seem to be resolved fully. The intercom connection between Cardo devices sometimes just randomly shuts down. While it is effortless to reconnect with a push of the Intercom button or a voice command, this can prove to be a hindrance in the long run.
Sound Quality
Here we are at the highlight of the Cardo Freecom 4 Plus. The partnership with JBL has really paid off, and the 40mm JBL speakers do wonders when it comes to immersive sound quality. They offer stereo sound quality that is really top of the line for the motorcycle Bluetooth headset market. Audiophiles will especially enjoy using this Bluetooth headset.
The listening experience won’t lose its quality even if you ride above 65 miles per hour (above 105 km/h). We can thank the noise cancellation feature for that, as wind, engine noise, and traffic noise get filtered out quite well with the thick JBL speakers.
Voice Control
“Hey, Cardo!” That’s all you have to say to trigger the robust selection of voice commands that the Cardo Freecom 4 Plus provides. One thing to note is that voice commands are compatible with Siri and Google Assistant, so you can effortlessly control your smartphone’s functions, like the GPS navigation and music player.
The secret is in the Always On! voice recognition system. As its name suggests, you can always use it with a trigger keyword. It features 24 commands that allow you to:
Answer incoming calls
Make calls
Control volume
Start and control smartphone music
Activate the intercom
Control the FM radio
Check battery
The great thing with this voice control system is that it actually registers your commands quite well. You won’t need to constantly repeat yourself to turn on the music player on your smartphone. That goes for any other command you desire to use.
Additional Features
Here are some features of the Cardo Freecom 4 Plus Bluetooth headset worth a mention:
Music Sharing
This is one handy feature that you can utilize to share your favorite tunes or radio station with your intercom partner. Just press and hold the Intercom button, and the headset will stream your music to other participants in the intercom group.
Built-In FM Radio
This video shows how to easily launch the built-in FM radio with Freecom 4 Plus!
As with most motorcycle Bluetooth headsets, the Cardo Freecom 4 Plus comes with a built-in radio. You can tune in to your favorite radio stations, whether you are up for listening to some new tunes or getting up to date on the happenings in the given day.
Water Resistant or Waterproof?
Like all Cardo Bluetooth devices before it, the Freecom 4 Plus features the IP67 waterproof rating. Along with the waterproofing qualities, this Bluetooth headset is dust-proof.
Well, these two durability qualities make for a device safe to use during heavy rain or high winds. Both mentioned weather conditions feature lots of water and dust, and it’s good to know that Cardo was mindful of that for all of us cross country motorcycle trip enthusiasts out there.
Battery Life
The battery life of this Bluetooth headset is surprisingly strong. It offers one week of standby mode and 13 hours of talk time. When you need to charge it, it will charge in four hours.
Note: You can charge this Bluetooth headset on the go if you have a portable power bank. It features MicroUSB ports that you can utilize on the go.
Price
We know that Cardo Freecom 4 Plus is a feature-packed Bluetooth headset that is highly resistant to elements. How does that translate in the pricing? Well, a single pack is in the range of $250/€210/£188, which stands together with the headsets like Sena 30K.
Now that we are at the end of our Cardo Freecom 4 Plus Bluetooth headset review, would we actually recommend it?
It’s undoubtedly a decent Bluetooth headset with fantastic sound quality. Honestly, no one rivals Cardo on this front.
But, in the long term? This may not be the best headset. You see, many newer headsets are transferring to Dynamic Mesh technology that offers a higher range and is a fundamental improvement over Bluetooth intercom connections. We are mainly looking at stability and connection count over here.
Cardo Freecom 4 Plus is the best pick if you are an audiophile with a riding partner who would enjoy the music sharing capability. Due to its high price, we simply cannot recommend it to everyone, especially those looking for a Bluetooth headset with advanced intercom functionality.
The 2021 Honda CRF 250L and CRF 250 Rally are launching in Europe, with more power and more suitable names. More specifically, these Japanese-made bikes are named CRF 300L and CRF 300 Rally.
These bikes sport a Euro 5 compliant 286cc, liquid-cooled, single-cylinder engine. It will produce 26,95 horsepower at 8,500 rpm and 19,6 ft-lbs of torque at 6,500 rpm. The boost in power is made possible with a longer stroke supposedly installed due to Euro 5 compliance.
Other than the displacement changes, other changes present in the Japanese variants remain the same. These include the shorter ratios from the first to fifth gear. The sixth gear is taller and will help with using the power of the bike to its fullest.
Also, the frame and ground clearance is revised for more accessibility with these bikes. The gas tank capacity for the 300L is 7,8L, while the capacity for the Rally is 12,8L.
There is an apparent downgrade from the Japanese market counterpart when it comes to LED lighting. More specifically, the CRF 300L has no LED head or taillights, while the CRF 300 Rally only has an LED headlight.
The prices and availability of these two bikes are still not disclosed. For now, you can contact your local Honda dealer for more specific details, as the European market is quite complex when it comes to pricing.
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Triumph has certainly wowed the motorcycle market with their Trident 660 that was launched last month. This bike is one of the most affordable mid-displacement street bikes, making three-cylinder powered bike accessible to more motorcycle fans.
The bike was released across the globe, mainly taking on the Japanese mid-displacement naked bike segment. It is currently priced at $7,995 (€6,617/£5,996).
After launching the Trident 660 in their most important global markets, Triumph has opened the bookings for the bike in India! We still don’t know the final price, although they have set a refundable booking fee of Rs 50,000 ($678/€561/£509).
Just as a reminder, this entry-level motorcycle is fitted with a 660cc three-cylinder engine that produces 79,8 horsepower. It also comes with a Showa suspension and a quick bi-directional shifter that is optional. The bike is certainly a formidable opponent to its Japanese counterparts, that’s for sure.
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The new, temporary CEO of Norton Motorcycles, John Russell, has announced that they are working hard on making the 2021 Atlas Nomad and Atlas Ranger bikes available in 2021. It’s been a long time coming, as these two bikes have been announced way back in 2018.
The specifications of the bikes are still the same, with 84 horsepower and 47 lb-ft of torque. When we come to the pricing, the suggested price for these models back when they were revealed were:
$12,900 (€10,671/£9,673) for Nomad
$15,500 (€12,822/£11,622) for Ranger
Of course, we expect this pricing to be obsolete, as the company has totally changed its administration in the past two years.
We still don’t know when in 2021 specifically is Norton planning to launch these two bikes. Theoretically, they have a full year to assure further that these bikes will be close to what they were planning to make two years ago. Only time will tell.
If you are interested in Norton Atlas Nomad or Ranger, you can show your interest by filling out the form on Norton’s website.
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Even though Norton has been through some hard times, they are still preparing new bikes – with the new 2021 V4RR being teased.
The previous V4RR variant was released in 2016 to great fanfare. Over the years, the company lost its reputation, but we hope things might change for the better now that TVS is backing Norton.
The 2021 variant of the V4RR isn’t that much different from the mentioned 2016 variant. It will sport a 1,200cc V4 engine that produces 200 horsepower and 96 lb-ft of torque, along with a seat height of 33 inches (84 centimeters).
Of course, there will be some small aesthetic modifications and new components, but it will be essentially the same bike.
The main difference at play is the company itself. Norton has lost quite a lot of its reputation due to not delivering motorcycles to its customers. With TVS backing them up, it will be interested to see how their business model has changed.
We hope that Norton will be able to deliver these bikes and see their business return on the right track!
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The Taiwanese motorcycle manufacturer Kymco has finally entered the adventure scooter market with the launch of the Kymco DTX 360 – a do it all machine, as the company says.
Here is the video of this adventure scooter in action!
This will be a versatile scooter, being able to maneuver easily in urban traffic, freeway, and unexplored roads. That being said, this is not a hardcore off-road bike due to its wheels being only 14 and 13 inches, respectively.
Also, for an adventure scooter, it has relatively low ride height and a long wheelbase. It comes with dual-sport tires and is not quite heavy, being 428 lbs heavy (194 kg).
The DTX 360 sports a 321cc single-cylinder engine that produces 28 horsepower and 22 lb-ft of torque. Some other useful features include:
Traction control
LED lighting
Seat storage
USB ports
Keyless ignition
No prices are disclosed as of now. We presume the bike will launch in Asia and Europe first, with the USA release still unclear.
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An interesting motorcycle safety study conducted in Australia came to some interesting conclusions, mainly regarding the gas tank design on a motorcycle.
When we talk about a crash, most of us will think about our bike colliding with another object. It’s not the only collision that happens in such a case, as the body will collide with the bike, too, the most common collision being with the fuel tank.
In such extreme cases, the gas tank design has more importance than ever, as its design will determine the seriousness of the impact on your pelvis. If you injure your pelvis on the gas tank, some types of issues may occur, like sexual ability and your ability to urinate.
What bikes have the worst gas tank designs when it comes to safety? The three contenders are adventure, dual-sport, and cruiser bikes, respectively, the main reason being the unusually high placement of the gas tank.
If you want the bike that is the safest for gas tank design, always choose a bike with a flat and smooth gas tank.
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Recently released in India, it was only a matter of time when the 2021 BMW G 310 R would launch in Europe. Well, BMW has officially launched in Europe, with three color options and extra features.
The European iteration of this bike features a 313cc single-cylinder, liquid-cooled, Euro 5 compliant engine. It produces 34 horsepower and makes 21 lb-ft of torque. The bike weighs 349 lbs (or 158 kilograms).
The 2021 G 310 R is a direct answer from BMW to a mega-popular KTM 390 Duke, an Austrian-made bike that dominates the small displacement market. To get them closer to dethroning the giant, some new features are implemented in the European iteration.
First of all, this G 310 R iteration will feature full LED lighting and the anti-hopping clutch featured in the 310 GS bike. The mentioned three color options include Polar White, Cosmic Black, and Sport Edition.
Sport Edition isn’t that clear with its meaning. This variation adds red color to the frame and wheels, with the rest of the bodywork being the default.
Pricing is a bit more complicated in Europe. Different countries have different import laws and taxes, which differentiates the price from country to country. Currently, the 2021 BMW G 310 R is on sale in Italy for €5,700 and in the UK for £4,875.
You can buy the 2021 BMW G 310 R in the UK over here!
Well, it is only a matter of time when we hear the announcement of release in the USA too!
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Suzuki makes some killer motorcycles, ATVs, and boats. Even though they carry the same brand name, did you know that its Motorcycle/ATV and Marine divisions are not directly connected? They have their own separate processes, to say at least. To increase the production efficiency, Suzuki Motor of America announced to restructure these two separate divisions.
This change will come into motion on April 1st of 2021. From that date, the two mentioned divisions will function independently, with its own power structure, which is expected to increase production efficiency and speed up the decision-making processes.
Suzuki Motor USA will stay in Brea, California, where Suzuki HQ is situated. On the other hand, Suzuki Marine USA will transfer to Tampa, Florida. This transfer effectively divides Suzuki on both American coasts, which is an exciting move.
Well, this move was expected, as seen in Kawasaki’s example. As is the same with Kawasaki, this restructure won’t affect the customer experience with Suzuki’s products.
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