Three New Lightweight Dakar/ADV Bikes Coming Our Way...

Question is...which will get here first and which will be the best product.

First off we have the CCM GP-450 Adventure.  A small British company who has supplied the military and NGOs with bikes for some time.  They have been out testing this bike across the globe (South America amongst other locations) and are doing demo rides for potential customers in England currently.  An interesting innovation is that the frame is not welded together and is instead uses an aluminum bonded design.  The bike definitely leans towards the "Dakar" style end of the spectrum vs. a ADV style bike.  Pricing in England is listed at about 8,000 pounds which translates to about $12,000 and putting it firmly in the KTM/BMW pricing range, particularly for a 450CC bike (though its weight of 290 pounds is pretty darn light).  At last notice CCM hopes to have the bike approved for sale in the US by late '15 with first sales I would imagine in early '16.

CCM Motorcycles

Then we have the AJP PR7 660.  A Portuguese product from a company that has to date focused on small enduro style bikes the PR7 was introduced as concept vehicle late in '14 and has reportedly been put on track to be introduced for sale in late '15--though this is in the UK with a US date not disclosed.  A significantly bigger bike than the CCM GP-450 using a 660CC Yamaha engine seen in the Tenere and weighing in at 342 pounds (dry), the PR7 is only a "lightweight" in comparison to the big BMW and KTMs but in the world of ADV and "Dakar" style bikes this is actually fairly small. In terms of styling and anticipated performance the PR7 appears to be on par (or nearly so) with the GP-450 targeting a more hardcore rider with intentions (dreams?) of actually racing the vehicle in a real rally race.  Pricing on the AJP when it is available is reported to be 9,000 pounds or $13,900 with like the CCM above puts it in the "premium" category of ADV motorcycles.

AJP PR7


Lastly we have the CSC (California Scooter Company) RX-3 Cyclone.  A true "lightweight" bike at
only 250CC but with a weight of 386 pounds, you won't be outrunning many fellow riders on this Chinese sourced bike (which goes under various other names in other countries around the world).  The RX-3 is styled and aimed much more towards the introductory ADV riding market vs. higher end bikes above.  Its price reflects this target audience at a eye-opening $3,495.  The power of paying people peanuts in China is obvious and while the bike does seem to be covered in a lot of shiny, bright, cheap looking plastic, it does come with a full, unlimited miles, two year warranty on all parts (first year sees all labor covered as well).  That said, the warranty is only of value if the primary company is still in business, time will tell whether the RX-3 is a bargain and great stepping stone to get people on a bike and at least CAPABLE of running fire roads and other more extended terrain or if CSC becomes a negative touchstone for any thirdworld motorcycle product in the ADV segment introduced to the US.  The first shipment of RX-3s have currently left mainland China and with a stopoff in Korea will arrive at the Long Beach port on 3/6/15 but are not scheduled to be unloaded till 3/24/15 due to the ongoing worker slowdown there (I would imagine it will be later this).  But if you can't wait for the PR7 660 or GP-450 or can't afford them, you could buy three RX-3s for the price of one of the aforementioned.

California Scooter Company

AJP Motorcycles Introduces its Rally Bike...

Well...it LOOKS like it belongs at the Dakar...

As with SUVs in the 90's and early '00s motorcycles are appearing to go through a period of expanding "adventure" models.  As every SUV was marketed as being tough and ready to go mountain climbing at one time so it is that motorcycle manufacturers are pumping out ADV models left and right.  Not to make you think that suddenly the US consumer is interested in the Dakar or other Rally-Raid events.  No...but the ADV market (generally larger bikes that can be used both on and off road for long distances) is motorcycling's fastest growing in terms of unit percentages.
Many companies though are putting some extra plastic cladding, some bigger lights and one inch more suspension travel and call it a day.

AJP at least has a history in producing Enduro bikes and exclusively Enduro bikes so their move into the ADV segment makes sense.  They bring some interesting ideas to the table with the newly introduced PR7 660.  On the "small" side for an ADV or Dakar bike it should be exceedingly agile, particularly given their Enduro heritage where their bikes are more designed to maneuver single track through the woods vs. wide open desert terrain.  The bike is also really light.  Listed at 155 kg this is only 341 lbs.

That said some concerns have been brought up as to the size of the gas tank which at only about 4 1/2 gallons is not likely to cut it for more than the shortest of rally-raid stages.  Furthermore, while the positioning of the gas tank under the seat makes the bike's center of gravity nice and centered and low, it also means you have to get off the bike and lift up the seat to refill it.  For quick refills you don't want to be getting off the bike, releasing the seat, undoing the fuel cap and then repeating the process in reverse--not conducive to fast times, ease of access and ability to mount items on or around the seat.

The bike will be available in late '15 via your local AJP distributor and imported from Portugal where they are made.  Their US distributor is a bunch of great Vermont based guys...so check them out.

AJP USA website...

AJP Worldwide website...