Happy New Year!

Happy New Year!

 Well MotoReaders, 2025 is here and I hope it’s been good for you so far. 

2025 has gotten off to a pretty rocky start so far, but let’s all hope and pray that it gets much, much better for all of us as we get further in. 

Having said all that, let’s lighten the mood up, by talking about what possibilities the new year may bring.

Motorcycles 

It looks like Harley-Davidson has some new stuff up their sleeves for the Softail lineup, but I suspect it may be limited to a new set of colors, some engine upgrades and maybe, just maybe, a “new” model. I’ve heard rumors about the return of the V-Rod in 2025, so we’ll see what the MoCo does with that. I’ve also heard rumors (for months now) about a new Pan America model, featuring the 975cc RevMax engine, that may be coming soon. Of course, that begs the question, if they offer a 975 Pan Am, would they possibly release a 1250 Nightster, or maybe even the long sought after Street Fighter that was conceptualized several years ago? Only time will tell, but the Softails (and possibly others?) are set to be announced on January 22nd, so maybe we’ll get lucky and get a few new models from our favorite Wisconsinites to tempt and tantalize us.

I haven’t seen or heard much from the other guys, but after perusing the interweb, I saw that Indian Motorcycles is teasing a big reveal- a potential new model in their PowerPlus lineup, on January 24th. They’ve also released a few updates to their Scout models that they seem pretty proud of, too. I really hope that Polaris invests more time and energy into the Indian brand, because I truly believe that the rivalry between Harley-Davidson and Indian is good for both companies and most of all, good for us as riders.

Janus Motorcycles, the small boutique company in Goshen, Indiana USA, has released a new model for this year- the Gryffin 450, a small displacement scrambler for those of us that like to get off-road every once in a while. For my loyal MotoReaders, you’ll remember that I’ve written a few posts about Janus Motorcycles (click here for the first of those). I really like the company and how they’re doing things and I hope to see them continue to grow. They really embody the American spirit of innovation and rebelling against the status quo. 

Buell Motorcycles is keeping their lineup lean, with most of their media pushes focusing on the new Super Cruiser that they are hoping to begin production on in the fall of this year. With an estimated 175hp and a 100hp of torque, the “Dyna Bros” will surely love it. But they might want to skip buying that extra pair of checkered Vans, Dixxon Flannel and PBRs in order to save up enough dollar bills to put one in their mom and dad’s garage, because at an entry price of $25,900… they might not be able to put their T-bars and cafe fairing on it. By the way, if you’re a “Bro” reading this and you’re not chortling at this good natured ribbing, relax- I’m just poking a little fun at you…besides, without you guys, my Street Bob wouldn’t be worth as much as it is! 

The big four from Japan (Honda, Yamaha, Kawasaki and Suzuki) all seem to be keeping to their previous lineups with little more than new colors and fairing options being the biggest changes. I will say that I think it’s pretty cool that Honda is still offering their factory chopper- the Fury. It’s just an overall cool bike. Also worth a mention is Kawasaki’s retro cruiser, the W800- it’s a full-on throwback to the days when Japanese motorcycles weren’t trying to look like the American machines and, by god, I respect that individuality.

The Brits seem to be keeping in step with the Japanese companies, as the BMW and Triumph websites don’t appear to have anything truly new coming in ‘25. Triumph is, however, offering a few new model options; in the Tiger series- smaller 660 and 800 offerings of their popular ADV line, and in their Speed line- a couple of “new” twins- a 900 and a 1200 could bring some new riders their way.

The Italians, Moto Morini and Ducati seeming to be resting on their laurels for 2025 and, let’s be honest, they can. While Moto Morini is, only now, really starting to make waves stateside, offering Italian engineering for a relatively affordable price, Ducati still remains the king of the “boot” bikes (and king of a few others, too). Their lineup is desirable enough that they don’t need to offer anything new… although, curiosity does make me wonder what a Ducati Cruiser might look like. Maybe one day we’ll see?

Rides

Harley-Davidson has upped the ante on their “Homecoming” events, taking them from their former quinquennial (every 5 year anniversaries) events, and having them every year. Personally, I think it’s a great idea and, while I’m not much of a rally-goer myself, I know that a lot of people are and these events are good marketing tools to bring new blood to the culture. 

In a prior post, I mentioned that my wife and I decided to give the gifts of “presence” instead of “presents”. So far, we have attended the FanExpo in New Orleans, and in the coming months, we plan on attending a few more places and events as a family. While we haven’t made any official plans yet, I’m hoping that at least one of them can be a return to the motorcycle motherland that is Milwaukee, Wisconsin. I’d love to ride my Road King Special to Juneau Ave and park it right smack dab in the middle of Davidson Park for a photo or ten. In the meantime, we have plans to ride to Barber Vintage Motorcycle Museum in beautiful Birmingham, AL and I have a few other trips up my sleeve that I won’t disclose just yet. 

Retirement?

In my “paying gig”, I’m dangerously close to retirement and, depending on the path that life puts me on, I might just take advantage of it. Part of me wants to stay and keep at it for a few more years, after all, I do love what I do and I doubt that I’ll ever find a more rewarding source of income (as meager as it might be to some… okay, most, people). The other part of me, however, yearns to begin the next chapter of my life, taking more motorcycle trips and exploring new places with my fists in the wind and my knees in the breeze. Even if I do retire, I’ll most likely have go back to doing some kind of work after a month or two… after all, boredom is the devil’s workshop and Mrs. MotoWriter still has a few years left before she can retire from her “9-5” career, so my explorations will be lonely until she can saddle up with me full time. If I do decide to retire, I’ll likely be adding much more content to the MotoWriter website and may even get back to doing more freelance writing work until my “dream” retirement job opens up (more on that, only if it ever happens). 

New opportunities 

Going into 2025, I think we can all benefit from taking advantage of new opportunities. If those present themselves as a new job, a new home address, a new motorcycle, or even just a new motorcycle trip- I say go for it! The only opportunities wasted are those not taken. If you truly want to live your life to the fullest, then stop talking about it and do it! Put your phones down, interact with those around you that mean the most to you and bring you happiness to be around. Put some distance between you and the people and things that bring you down and steal your joy. I’m not saying cut them out of your life, but rather, don’t let them take the life out of your days. I’ve said it before, and I think it’s starting to catch on now, but we only have 75 good years and the older we get, the fewer of those we have. So get out there and live- bring joy, peace, happiness, and let’s not forget about kindness, to those around you and in doing so, you’ll surely find it for yourself. 

Until next time, MotoReaders…

ride safe and make good choices!