How could America shift so babies were more welcomed‚ less dreaded? Tim Carney‚ author of the new book “Family Unfriendly: How Our Culture Made Raising Kids Much Harder Than It Needs to Be‚” has a few ideas. He’d like to see corporations offer parents their child’s birthday off every year. He wants parents to not work so hard at parenting—and to never‚ ever‚ sign up their kids for a travel sports team. He’d like to see local governments prioritize sidewalks and denser housing‚ which would make neighborhoods safer for kids. But he also wants us to think about why we have a falling birth rate—and what it says about us. After World War II‚ America had a baby boom‚ while Germany experienced a baby bust. Now‚ we’re struggling with our own baby bust‚ even as we are hammered by relentless discussions of America’s failures‚ the threat of climate change‚ and more. “The spirit of the age now is what I call civilizational sadness‚” says Carney. “And the sadness is a belief that we’re just not good or that humans were a mistake.” Here’s a lightly edited transcript of our conversation on “The Daily Signal Podcast.” Katrina Trinko: Joining me today is Tim Carney‚ author of the new book “Family Unfriendly: How Our Culture Made Raising Kids Much Harder Than It Needs to Be.” Tim is also a senior columnist for the Washington Examiner and a senior fellow at the American Enterprise Institute. Tim‚ thanks for joining the show today. Let’s start with the book subtitle. How did our culture make raising kids harder? Tim Carney: In all sorts of ways. For one‚ it made parenting culture way too intense and we’ve replaced‚ you know‚ local Little League where the dads are all volunteers with intensive expensive travel sports. We’ve created these expectations and norms that parents are supposed to helicopter their child at every moment to make sure little Connor never skins his knee. We also have a mating and dating culture which is dysfunctional. I think a lot of that stems from the apps‚ a lot of it stems from problems with not just modern feminism‚ but the idea of the individual as this sort of super-autonomous bundle of rights and … commitment infringes on our autonomy. Also‚ the values of our culture are more individualistic and we don’t think that it’s the job of society to support families‚ but it is and it should be. That’s definitely something we should talk about today. And ultimately‚ our culture teaches us that we’re not good‚ that humans were a mistake—as I put it. And that’s obviously not going to encourage people to start families. Trinko: You talk in your book about lazy parenting. And I don’t have kids myself‚ but I was like‚ man‚ if I do have kids‚ this sounds great. So unpack what is lazy parenting‚ is it just you do nothing or is it a little bit more complex than that? Carney: No. But the question you’re asking‚ when you’re thinking‚ “How am I going to spend my time? How should my kids spend their time?” shouldn’t be a constant question of‚ “How can I maximize the enrichment for my child and and get them ahead?” So‚ one thing‚ one example I discuss in my book is how when we moved from Maryland to Virginia‚ for that first school year we had a fifth grader and a first grader in the same school that was walking distance from our house‚ but then my wife would have to drive and pick up the other‚ the older kids. And so there would be a period of time—well‚ first of all‚ the fifth grader … was walking the kindergartener to and from school every day. And they’re in their Catholic school uniforms and so of course that’s the cutest thing in the world. So that’s good for your neighborhood. But also‚ then‚ when they got home‚ she—the older one—would make a snack. They would sit and read together. And the time they spent‚ it made my fifth grader who has a learning disability‚ made her a better reader. … She’s a middle sister so it made her adopt more big-sister attitudes. None of this was‚ like‚ preparing her for AP courses. None of this was athletic. None of this was training her in anything. It was just really nice time with her little sister. And that was the right way to do it and it didn’t involve us at all. So we could have put her in tutoring‚ we could have put her in some intensive sport‚ but we thought you hanging out with your little sister is the right thing to do here‚ similarly with running around the neighborhood. And I spend a lot of time‚ actually‚ on walkability—which a lot of people think of as a liberal issue—but kid walkability‚ kid bikeability. Our kids don’t have as much freedom as we would want for them to walk and bike the neighborhood in part because we don’t have a sidewalk. Part because other kids‚ other families aren’t sending their kids out to walk and bike the neighborhood. But that’s another way where mom and dad get to sit at home‚ have a drink on the front porch while the kids might be five blocks away. And that’s good for the kids and good for the parents. Trinko: You talk a lot‚ and you address this a little bit in your first answer‚ about all the different areas in which our culture‚ our policies‚ our economics are unfriendly to kids. If a fairy showed up and it was like‚ “Hey‚ you’ve got one wish‚ Tim‚” what policy or change would you do to improve America’s birth rate‚ what is the most urgent thing? Carney: My jokey answer is I would outlaw travel team sports and everybody would just play in the local rec league—from the guy who’s a future major leaguer‚ down to the kid who you’re a little worried the baseball is going to break his glasses. They would all play on the same local rec league. But the actual policy‚ if some mayor called me or any lawmaker and said‚ “What policy could we implement and it would help make parenting less stressful‚ children less anxious‚ the birth rate rebound?” I would probably go to the mayor’s and I would say‚ again‚ “Sidewalks‚ bike trails‚ crosswalks‚ playgrounds. Make every neighborhood where parents might live as walkable‚ bikeable for kids as possible to let kids roam free. And allow for more family homes to be built.” You know‚ duplexes for a starter home‚ modest single-family homes. They don’t need a big backyard. A front yard‚ front porch is probably better‚ more community-oriented‚ which is exactly what parents need. So in some ways that infrastructure of parenthood is the most acute policy question that I write about in “Family Unfriendly.” Trinko: So‚ you just mentioned travel teams. Let’s say that a parent is told little Connor has got a real shot at being an MLB player‚ and this isn’t completely crazy talk. And they’re told‚ in order to do that‚ Connor has to be on one of these fancy travel teams‚ they’ve got to give up their lives‚ yada yada. Does research bear out that there is a real conflict between excellence and lazy parenting? Carney: That’s a good way of asking. So‚ I’ll answer your question directly after addressing it indirectly. The first thing I would say is‚ your kid probably isn’t going to be a professional at any sport. The best kids‚ especially if we’re talking about age 10 and 11‚ when they start specializing‚ those kids often aren’t the best kids even by age 14 or 15. It just has to do with when your growth spurt is. I changed the names of the kids in the book. This one kid I call Ricky‚ his dad‚ we met to talk about something else and when he saw me working on my book‚ he said‚ “Oh‚ I fell into the travel team trap hard.” And it’s because his son just had a growth spurt ahead of the other kids. “Oh‚ Ricky’s going to be great. Da da da.” So now Ricky’s playing baseball 10 months out of the year. He’s driving down to North Carolina from Northern Virginia for baseball tournaments and it eats up his whole life and makes him hate it. So you put your kid into a travel sport‚ there are a few possible upsides. A) they might get much better‚ professional coaching‚ much better fields‚ better competition. All of that stuff. The downsides are they really might grow to hate the sport sooner. They might get injured because if they’re specializing‚ if they’re giving up stuff like playing pickup basketball or being on the soccer team or going for hikes on the weekend or just riding their bikes around the neighborhood‚ they’re doing repeated stress on particular joints and on particular muscles. But the saddest part for me of the travel team trap was the sort of psychological harm to kids. They actually have a lower estimation of their own value and skill as athletes because they get exposed to the best athletes on the whole East Coast or the whole state of California and suddenly they realize‚ “Wait. I’ve dedicated my whole life to this one thing and I’m not even the one-hundredth best at my position in my age group in my state.” And so those are the reasons not to do it. If your goal as a parent was really to get your kid into Major League Baseball‚ well‚ yeah‚ you would probably pay the thousand dollars a year‚ a season for this coach. But also‚ you would let your kid do other stuff‚ cross-training. My friend‚ who I quote in the book‚ Pete Zoccolillo‚ who played a few months in the major leagues‚ he said he really has to tell these kids’ parents you can’t do baseball 12 months out of the year. A) you need rest‚ B) you need something else. And he has to talk the parents out of that. So if for some reason‚ and you shouldn’t do this‚ but if for some reason you decided your job as a parent was to get your kid into the major leagues‚ you wouldn’t specialize. … Part of the reason I call it a trap—my wife and I‚ we have six kids‚ we are not going to do travel sports‚ no matter what. We accidentally did and that’s where Chapter 1 begins. But we just can’t do it. Does our son suffer a little bit because he’s now on the bench instead of starting and the kids who are starting include kids who do this year-round with thousands of dollars? Yeah‚ you could say he suffers a little. And that’s one of the worst parts. The real worst part is the kids who are told‚ “Oh‚ well‚ you’re kind of shirking. You spend fall just hanging around the parking lot‚ just walking in the woods and catching snakes with your bare hands. You should spend fall also playing baseball.” No. Your childhood should be expansive. Trinko: Yeah‚ that makes sense to me. I think some of my best childhood memories were just hanging out in the backyard‚ not doing anything and yet having a wonderful time. I think it’s sad to me when I see how scheduled kids are nowadays. So you mentioned you have six kids. It cracked me up during the book that you talked about‚ I think you had your first kid in 2006 when Tom Cruise and Brad Pitt‚ a few other celebrities had it. And you said there was a baby boomlet in that time but that did not really pan out. So what has happened to our birth rate in the past two decades and is this definitely something we should be worried about or is it just people are marrying and having kids older? Carney: It is definitely something we should be worried about. The most common birth rate statistic you’ll hear is a number called the total fertility rate‚ which can confuse people because it doesn’t have to do with biological fertility‚ it’s actual births that happen. And 2.1—it’s births per woman and it’s modeled to sort of take into account a woman’s whole life. 2.1 is what demographers call the replacement rate. That is if a population that was closed off to immigration‚ immigration was 2.1‚ in the long run it would maintain its population. Below that it would shrink‚ above that it would grow. So the birth rate was just above replacement in those years‚ 2006 and 2007‚ when Brad Pitt and Tom Cruise and I were were having babies. And since then it’s been falling steadily. The number of babies born has fallen steadily since 2007. At first people thought it was a Great Recession but then it kept going. And it was much lower in the last few years‚ before and after the pandemic it was still much lower than it was during the recession. One of the consequences of this is we have fewer children today than we did a decade ago. Soon we will have a falling working-age population. So just economically that’s going to be a problem. More retirees than ever‚ fewer workers than in the past‚ that’s a problem. … Ten‚ 12 years ago‚ Jonathan Last wrote a book called “What to Expect When No One’s Expecting” and some of the response to that was‚ OK‚ yes‚ we have falling birth rates‚ but that’s just a statistical anomaly. What’s really happening is people are getting married later. Their marriages are thus stronger. They’re starting marriages‚ they’re starting their families when their careers are stronger and therefore they still get the two to three kids that they want and they’re more economically stable and more mature. I called that the “Happy Planning Story” and the last 10 years have blown that up. A lot of Gen X people aged out wanting kids‚ never got kids. A lot of millennials have said‚ “I want kids but I don’t think I’m ever going to get them.” And now‚ increasingly‚ Gen Z is saying‚ “We don’t want kids.” So that “Happy Planning Story” fell apart. So we really are going to have a shrinking working-age population. Elementary schools are already shuttering. High schools are feeling it. Now colleges are bracing for it. … Right now‚ next year will be the peak in high school graduates and then it will go down every year for the foreseeable future. The number of potential college kids will go down. Beyond the economic‚ I think there’s real moral and social harms because I think kids make people happy. In fact‚ I cite a lot of studies about having kids around making people happy. And then I think I should have just filmed‚ had my daughter wear a GoPro as she was walking her little sister to school and showed how even these like sort of mean old ladies around the block‚ when they see these two girls walking together‚ they can’t help but smile. I remember seeing this one woman who I called the Ice Queen‚ like‚ literally melt on Halloween. I mean‚ not literally‚ almost literally melt on Halloween when she saw my daughter dressed up as an orca. So … we are worse off when we don’t think about the future. … There was once this commercial I remember seeing about‚ like‚ if you were being spied on at all times by the public‚ would you behave better? Would you be less likely to drink milk from the carton? Would you be less likely to curse at people? Would you be less selfish? Then they’re like‚ it’s kind of what having kids is like. So kids make us be better people. They make us aspire to be better people‚ both our kids and other people’s kids around us. Trinko: You mentioned people smiling at your daughters‚ who sound very cute. I have a sister who lives in Spain‚ she’s got a little baby. And Spain is one of those countries where there’s not a lot of kids. And she talks about how she and my niece‚ there’s so much excitement and joy at seeing her. But I wanted to bring up Europe more generally because in the book‚ you look at some of these countries that gave quite a bit‚ whether through day care or other subsidies‚ to people who chose to have kids. And this is a big policy discussion of both Left and Right now‚ is government intervention the answer? And what does the data show from these countries that have really intervened to try to increase fertility? Carney: Now‚ I want to be careful because what we haven’t had is a lot of clear-cut experiments. It would probably be kind of cruel to conduct experiments on parents and that sort of thing. But we do have a lot of observational data‚ some quasi-experiments out there. And here’s a general thing that I found‚ government can nudge upward the birth rate by spending a ton of money and just giving it directly to parents. So the the caveats around that—subsidizing child care doesn’t work in the long run. In the short run‚ if somebody wants kids and is putting it off‚ subsidizing child care can allow them to speed it up‚ but it doesn’t reduce the number of people who are falling short of their family size desire. And in the long run‚ I think it changes the culture and the culture’s values by emphasizing work because subsidizing child care is subsidizing work. It’s saying‚ “Oh‚ the problem here is that work competes with family. So we’re going to take the family stuff off your plate and allow you to focus all your time on work.” So‚ again‚ that shifts the culture. We’ve seen this happen. Polls of the values of people in Northern Europe have become steadily less pro-family and more workist‚ careerist in the last decade as these supposedly pro-family policies of subsidizing child care have gone into effect. Giving lots of money to people—I argue in the book and I wrote a Wall Street Journal op-ed about this a few weeks ago that a child tax credit that the U.S. has right now is a simple fairness measure. If you got rid of a $2‚000 child tax credit‚ it would be discriminating against families‚ it would be counting children as non-humans. But if you double it or triple it‚ what happens? Again‚ there are some things that are kind of like studies in this regard and they show that it does drive up the birth rate. It also can discourage marriage. France spends a ton. One of the things that they do is they pay what’s basically a stay-at-home mom benefit. They call it maternity leave. But if you have three kids over a six-year stretch you can stay at home for basically four of those six years and get paid by the government to do it. That might actually be one of the best ways to drive up the birth rate because it increases stay-at-home moms and stay-at-home moms are good for community. But I would say‚ not if what you mean by stay-at-home mom is a single‚ unwed mother who isn’t working. Then her children grow up without the example of a working parent and that’s a whole welfare problem in the United States‚ right? That’s what intergenerational poverty is. So if somebody wanted to—and Hungary is trying this and they haven’t shown great success—but if somebody wanted to say‚ “We will subsidize one stay-at-home parent among married families‚” that might be the most effective way to do it because one of the things I argue in the book is that stay-at-home moms and stay-at-home dads are good for communities and particularly they’re good for building that village. Remember‚ it takes a village‚ they are important to that. Trinko: You also talked in the book about one country‚ Georgia‚ that did have some success not using a fiscal method. Could you outline what happened there? Carney: Georgia—I don’t know if it’s nearly all the population but a huge portion of the population belongs to the Eastern Orthodox Church. And it’s a very national church. There is a patriarch for the nation of Georgia for the church and he announced at one point‚ looking at the low birth rates‚ “If a couple has three kids‚ I will baptize their third child and their fourth and their fifth and however many they have after that.” That not only preceded an uptick in the birth rate‚ it specifically preceded and it only seemed to cause an uptick in the birth rate among married people and it increased‚ really‚ their third‚ fourth‚ fifth kid. So all the evidence suggests that if you have a very popular‚ national religious leader who would do the baptisms‚ that could drive it. But I don’t think that person exists in the United States. I mean‚ it’s not going to be Joel Osteen‚ it’s not going to be Pope Francis. Again‚ a huge portion of the book is on religion. Religion is definitely central to this story. The secularization of the United States and Europe is driving down the birth rate and I think driving up the childhood anxiety. Individuals who go to church regularly or synagogue or mosque‚ they do have more babies than Americans who do not. Trinko: Well‚ maybe we need Father Mike Schmitz to start offering baptisms for third and fourth. But no‚ I thought that was very interesting and how that was‚ yeah‚ a cultural thing‚ a religious thing. And you also talk in the book quite a bit about what corporations could do‚ what employees could do to set a good example. And then how work itself and our values of it are affecting this whole larger conversation and decisions. Could you unpack that a little bit? I thought especially interesting was your idea that every employee should get their kids’ birthdays off‚ which I was like‚ shoot‚ you’d rack up an extra six days there. Carney: Yeah‚ so‚ I’ll start with that‚ what you’re sort of pointing out there. It wouldn’t be totally fair and by some measures it wouldn’t be totally equal to institute the pro-family policies I’m talking about. But it would be taking a side‚ the pro-family side. So you could argue by the current definition of equity in DEI that equity is not treating everybody equally but accommodating some things. … You know if Seth Mandel‚ who is our magazine editor at the Washington Examiner‚ … nobody would ever expect him to work late on a Friday night because he had to be home to observe the Sabbath. So there’s all these things where you sort of can decide‚ “OK‚ faith and family are the most important things and we’re going to accommodate them more. We’re going to say your family is more important than your job and we’re going to show that we mean it with some of these things.” So I said‚ “You know‚ your kid’s birthday should be a day off.” And then after I wrote that I had to start doing it‚ but I’m burning vacation days to do it. I also say‚ hey‚ there’s this thing called the SNOO‚ which didn’t exist when I was having babies. It’s this magic rocking bassinette that puts your kids to sleep. Because the hardest part of each subsequent child for us was the period when you’re not sleeping because a baby’s not sleeping through the night and this apparently addresses it and it’s super expensive. So some people buy it and then try to resell it. Some people lease it. Some people buy a used one. And I said that sort of thing‚ that’s super useful for about four or five months and then would just take up space‚ and you paid for it‚ that’s a sharing economy thing. Heritage Foundation‚ AEI‚ they should go out and they should buy like two or three of these and then loan them out to new parents. And paternity leave‚ I say I should be allowed to use that any time in my first my child’s first 18 years because with my subsequent children‚ yeah‚ I really was just hanging out with the older kids and not with the baby because our dynamic is my wife really takes care of the baby. And I take care of her and the other kids when we have a newborn. But some people are giving out 20 weeks‚ what if I got to take some of those weeks on his 12th birthday to go on an awesome camping trip? That would be amazing and that would also build loyalty for employees who say‚ “OK‚ I’m here. I know that at any point in the next 12 years I can take off a week with my kids. I’m going to do that.” Trinko: To be clear‚ by the way‚ I think that‚ yes‚ someone like you‚ a father of six‚ might get more days off than someone like me or doesn’t have kids. But I also realize your kids are paying my Social Security in the future. Carney: Yes. Trinko: So there’s some farther-looking equality here. At the end of the book‚ you talk about how the United States had a baby boom after World War II‚ but you look at how Germany had the opposite. They had a baby bust. And you connect that to what’s going on in the United States. Now‚ can you unpack that a little bit? Carney: So‚ yeah‚ this is the end of the book because I do try to build up to something more‚ I mean‚ you could call it spiritual. It’s not not specifically religious‚ but the the spirit of the age. And the spirit of the age now is what I call civilizational sadness. And the sadness is a belief that we’re just not good or that humans were a mistake. The U.S. manifests itself primarily in discussion of of climate and pollution. But secondarily‚ in discussion of we’re fundamentally a racist nation‚ where we are a colonialist settler nation. And just trying to drive home this idea that people are bad‚ people were a mistake‚ or we particularly as Americans are bad. Or if you’re a white American‚ you’re irreparably racist. And if you’re a black American‚ you will always be the victim of a society that is irreparably racist. So I look at the numbers in the polls and‚ actually‚ a recent one just came out on Thursday about how America’s becoming sadder and sadder‚ less happy‚ less happy‚ and that that’s being led by Gen Z and the younger millennials—people who could be starting families but aren’t. So I connect the dots‚ I believe‚ between this civilizational sadness and the other maladies that I address in the book‚ which is childhood anxiety and the falling birth rates. And the baby boom is kind of the counterexample. The baby boom was not simply a makeup for babies that couldn’t happen because men were off at war‚ it was a massive generation-long increase in family formation. I argue that that happened because our men came home from war‚ got off the boats—just having defeated two evil empires—the women were on the dock—just having kept the economy going for four—years and they smooched on the pier‚ got married‚ went home‚ and had a ton of kids because never before or since have we really believed so clearly that we are good. And that belief that we’re good‚ that also can help explain why religious communities will have more kids. Because certainly‚ I’m a Catholic‚ I believe we’re fallen‚ we’re sinners‚ but I also believe we can’t be made perfect‚ but that God loves us. You see the the Mormon Church‚ they have a higher birth rate. Orthodox Jews have a higher birth rate. … But that fundamentally‚ it’s good to have us‚ that the world is better off for us‚ regardless of our sins individually or collectively. Trinko: Great. Well‚ again‚ Tim Carney is the author of the new book “Family Unfriendly‚” gives you a lot to think about about our current culture. And Tim‚ thanks for joining us. Carney: Thank you very much. The post What Our Baby Bust Says About Modern America appeared first on The Daily Signal.

Ah‚ Bobby Jr.‚ we hardly knew ye‚ to paraphrase the title of an old book about President John F. Kennedy‚ uncle of independent presidential candidate Robert F. Kennedy Jr. Some had hopes that RFK Jr. would provide a fresh alternative to the presumptive Republican and Democratic nominees‚ the boisterous MAGA...

The 2025 CFMOTO Ibex 450 is a great addition to the ADV segment. We gave it a proper thrash at the global launch in Palawan‚ Philippines‚ and came away impressed. (Photos courtesy CFMOTO) Adventure bikes are undeniably hot right now. Out of more than 70 new or significantly updated street-legal motorcycles announced for 2024 in the U.S. market‚ nearly half are dual-sport or adventure models. There are many ADVs to choose from in the 750cc-and-up displacement class‚ but there are few below 500cc. One of the most intriguing additions to the adventure category is the 2025 CFMOTO Ibex 450. The CFMOTO Ibex 450 has rally styling with stacked headlights. The high fender is an accessory. Available colors are Tundra Gray (above) and Zephyr Blue (lead photo). Known as the 450MT outside the U.S.‚ the Ibex 450 is powered by a liquid-cooled 449cc parallel-Twin with DOHC‚ a 270-degree crank‚ and dual counterbalancers‚ and it’s mated to a 6-speed gearbox with a slip/assist clutch. Variations of this engine are found in several CFMOTO models‚ including the 450NK naked bike‚ the 450SS sportbike‚ and the forthcoming 450CL-C cruiser. Related: 2023 CFMOTO 450SS | First Ride Review Related: 2025 CFMOTO 450CL-C Review | First Look The Ibex 450’s liquid-cooled 449cc parallel-Twin is shared across four models in CFMOTO’s lineup. In the Ibex 450‚ the engine produces a claimed 44 hp at 8‚500 rpm and 32.5 lb-ft of torque at 6‚250 rpm. When Royal Enfield updated the Himalayan adventure bike for 2024‚ it was upgraded from an air-cooled 411cc Single to a liquid-cooled 452cc Single that makes a claimed 39.5 hp and 29.5 lb-ft of torque. The Ibex not only makes more power and torque‚ but its two cylinders and dual counterbalancers also deliver the goods more smoothly. Related: 2024 Royal Enfield Himalayan Review | First Ride The $6‚499 CFMOTO Ibex 450 is the only adventure bike with tubeless spoked wheels that costs less than $10‚000 (the KTM 790 Adventure is $10‚990). The Royal Enfield Himalayan will have optional tubeless spoked wheels but pricing has not been released. CFMOTO set out to produce a light‚ fully capable adventure bike at a reasonable price‚ and it has achieved its goal. The Ibex 450 is claimed to weigh 386 lb dry‚ so probably about 425 lb with its 4.6-gallon tank full. Even though it’s priced at just $6‚499‚ it’s brimming with features not found on adventure bikes that cost thousands of dollars more. Perhaps most appealing is its tubeless spoked wheels‚ which greatly simplify roadside or trailside flat repairs. And they’re in 21-inch front and 18-inch rear sizes‚ which perform well off-road and are compatible with a wide range of dual-sport and adventure tires. The CFMOTO Ibex 450’s 5-inch TFT display is easy to read even in bright sunlight. The Ibex 450 has a chromoly steel frame‚ 8.7 inches of ground clearance‚ and adjustable KYB suspension with 8 inches of travel. It also includes a 5-inch TFT display with Bluetooth connectivity ABS that can be disabled at the rear‚ switchable traction control‚ an adjustable seat height‚ a windscreen with on-the-fly height adjustment‚ handguards‚ a skid plate‚ a radiator guard‚ folding mirrors‚ a rear rack‚ LED lighting‚ and a USB-C charging port. The town of El Nido is situated on El Nido Bay‚ which is full of small islands covered in dark gray limestone formations. (Photo by Greg Drevenstedt) CFMOTO hosted a global launch for the Ibex 450 in Palawan‚ Philippines‚ a province that includes several tropical islands between the South China and Sulu seas (think Survivor‚ Seasons 25-28). Our test ride was around El Nido‚ which has few paved roads‚ and those that are paved are made of rough poured concrete and are buzzing with small scooters and motorcycles‚ many of which are “tricycles” with enclosed sidecars that are the local version of a tuk-tuk. Most roads are poorly maintained dirt and gravel tracks through the island’s hilly jungle terrain that connect small villages and beaches. One of the tricycles that are ubiquitous on the streets of Palawan. (Photo by Greg Drevenstedt) We knew we weren’t in Kansas anymore when our first obstacle was a water crossing (bypassing a rotted bridge) where water buffalo kept themselves cool in the shaded water. Even though it was March‚ Palawan was oppressively hot‚ with temps and humidity levels in the 90s. The region was in a severe drought‚ so the unpaved roads were extremely dusty – bikes kicked up clouds of fine‚ powdery silt that hung in the air like smoke. We spaced out our conga line of bikes as best as we could‚ but like a team of sled dogs‚ unless you’re in the lead‚ the view is always the same. I’ve had to dodge cows on adventure rides‚ but never water buffalo! Since the standard seat height of 32.3 inches is on the low side for an adventure bike and I’ve got a 34-inch inseam‚ I opted for the accessory high seat‚ which increases seat height to 34.3 inches and provides a much flatter seating platform. Even with the high seat‚ there was a fair amount of bend in my knees given the height of the footpegs‚ and the seat was plush and comfortable. Our CFMOTO Ibex 450 test bikes were equipped with several accessories: the high seat and upper and lower crash guards. (Photo by Greg Drevenstedt) Within the first few miles‚ I felt comfortable on the Ibex 450. I’ve been testing a 450NK back home‚ and I’ve developed a fondness for the sound and feel of the 450cc parallel-Twin‚ which emits a nice rumbling exhaust note. The cable-actuated throttle provides predictable response‚ though small inputs at low speeds felt a tad jerky. (My test bike had only 65 miles on the odometer‚ so it was barely broken in.) The gearbox shifted smoothly‚ aided by the light action of the slip/assist clutch. The standard seat is deeply dished where the rider sits. In it’s standard configuration‚ the seat’s height is 32.3 inches. Moving the shock’s top mounting bolt to a lower hole lowers the seat height to 31.5 inches. Given the roughness of the unpaved roads and tracks‚ I spent a fair amount of time standing up on the cleated footpegs (I removed the rubber inserts). The Ibex 450 feels slim between the knees‚ and the tank section is smooth and unobtrusive. The wide handlebar provided good steering control‚ and even though it is adjustable I would have liked a higher riser to accommodate my tall frame (I’m 6 feet tall with long arms). Most of our test was on unpaved roads‚ but we also logged miles on the national highway – a two-lane‚ curvy road made of rough poured concrete. We’ll have to wait for a stateside test to see how the Ibex 450 performs on the open road. GEAR UP Helmet: Fly Racing Trekker Kryptek Conceal Goggles: Fly Racing Zone Jacket: Fly Racing Off Grid Gloves: Fly Racing Street Surveyor Pants: Fly Racing Terra Trek Boots: Sidi Adventure 2 Gore-Tex Jason Louden‚ Director of Product &; Innovation at CFMOTO USA‚ makes friends with local kids during our lunch stop. (Photo by Greg Drevenstedt) The brakes are supplied by J.Juan and consist of a single 4-piston front caliper squeezing a 320mm disc and a 1-piston rear caliper squeezing a 240mm disc. Although braking power was sufficient for my needs‚ especially since we were traveling at a moderate pace given the conditions‚ there was limited feel at the lever. I liked the convenience of turning off ABS and TC at the rear wheel by pressing a button on the handlebar (a long press turns rear ABS/TC off‚ and a quick tap turns them back on)‚ but a true off-road ABS mode with less intervention at the front wheel would be a valuable addition. A button on the left side of the handlebar turns ABS and TC off/on at the rear wheel. In the Ibex 450’s menu‚ ABS and TC can be controlled independently. The large-diameter front and rear wheels rolled over obstacles with ease‚ and the CST adventure tires (which have a tread pattern similar to Pirelli Scorpion Rally STRs) provided decent grip and predictable behavior‚ even in loose sand and deep silt. The CFMOTO Ibex 450 proved itself to be quite capable off-road‚ and with a few suspension adjustments it will likely be even better. To achieve an aggressive price point‚ compromises must be made‚ and on motorcycles that typically means lower-spec brakes and suspension. The Ibex 450’s suspension adjustability (the fork is fully adjustable; the shock is adjustable for rebound and preload) is a major plus in this price range. With the standard settings used at the launch‚ the KYB suspension performed quite well‚ though it felt a little rough at low speeds and more responsive at higher speeds. I look forward to a longer test where I can dial in the fork and shock damping and preload to my size and riding style. With temps in the 90s and humidity above 90%‚ we wished there were more water crossings. This was no bunny slope test ride. CFMOTO mapped out a challenging route that required skill and focus. There were tricky climbs and descents littered with rocks and ruts‚ roads and trails with rough embedded stones‚ unpredictable dogs and goats hiding in the shade by the side of the road‚ and even a stretch of singletrack through a mango grove with unforgiving low branches. There aren’t many photos from the off-road park‚ and this one hardly does justice to the steepness of the trails or the depth of the silt. Trust me‚ it wasn’t easy. But the Ibex 450 took it all in stride. At the end of the day‚ after we’d sweated through our gear and depleted our energy reserves‚ we did laps around an off-road park with increasingly difficult terrain. The Level 1 loop was easy‚ much like what we’d ridden earlier in the day. Level 2 was harder with challenging climbs and descents on a heavily silted trail with switchbacks and hidden tree roots. Level 3 was harder still‚ climbing to the top of a small mountain and then back down the other side. This drone shot of the Level 3 loop (I’m the 3rd bike) doesn’t give a sense of how steep the trail was or how tricky these switchbacks were. By the time we got to the top‚ we were all ready to collapse. I’m happy to report that I made it through all three levels without dropping the bike‚ but the off-road park tested me as much as it tested the bike. The Ibex 450’s tractable power‚ moderate weight‚ long-travel suspension‚ and large-diameter wheels were helpful throughout the day and especially on those loops around the park. I never felt like something was missing or holding me back (except my 50-year-old body). At the end of a long‚ hot‚ dusty‚ challenging day‚ we still managed to smile. We were riding motorcycles‚ and riding is fun even when it isn’t. The beer at the end of the ride never tasted so good! Indeed‚ but we could have done with less dust. (Photo by Greg Drevenstedt) Another useful feature of the Ibex 450 is its 5-inch TFT display‚ which uses bold white-on-black graphics‚ motorcycle illustrations that show what different settings do‚ and an easy-to-navigate menu system. On either side of the instruments are knobs for adjusting the windscreen height. And above the dash is a horizontal bar where a GPS or smartphone can be mounted. A Tundra Gray CFMOTO Ibex 450 decked out in accessories. The CFMOTO Ibex 450 proved itself to be not just a good adventure bike for the price‚ but a good adventure bike period. It has the features that adventure riders want‚ and it’s available with useful accessories like the high seat I tested‚ upper and lower crash guards (which were fitted on our test bikes)‚ a beefier skid plate‚ a touring windscreen‚ a centerstand‚ hard and soft luggage‚ and more. At $6‚499‚ it’s a great value‚ and it’s backed by a 2-year warranty. The Ibex 450 looks sharp at sunset. (Photo by Greg Drevenstedt) The Ibex 450 will be available at CFMOTO’s 350-plus U.S. motorcycle dealers starting in September‚ and I bet it will sell like hotcakes. 2025 CFMOTO Ibex 450 Specs Base Price: $6‚499 Website: CFMOTOusa.com Warranty: 2 yrs.‚ unltd. miles Engine Type: Liquid-cooled‚ transverse parallel-Twin‚ DOHC w/ 4 valves per cyl. Displacement: 449cc  Bore x Stroke: 72.0 x 55.2mm  Horsepower: 44 hp @ 8‚500 rpm (factory claim)  Torque: 32.5 lb-ft @ 6‚250 rpm (factory claim)  Transmission: 6-speed‚ cable-actuated slip/assist wet clutch   Final Drive: Chain Wheelbase: 59.3 in. Rake/Trail: 26 degrees/4.1 in. Seat Height: 31.5 or 32.3 in. (via shock mount) Wet Weight: 425 lb (estimate based on 386 lb dry) Fuel Capacity: 4.6 gal. The Ibex 450 has LED lighting all around‚ with stacked high/low beam headlights and a central accent light. A small‚ dusty herd of Ibexes ready to ride. (Photo by Greg Drevenstedt) The Ibex 450 is called the 450MT outside the U.S. Hot‚ dusty‚ and dreaming of ice-cold Gatorade. Fresh pork on the move! (Photo by Greg Drevenstedt)The post 2025 CFMOTO Ibex 450 Review | First Ride appeared first on Rider Magazine.

Indian Motorcycle is set to release a new Indian Scout or Scouts on April 2‚ and it has been teasing us with a few videos that hadn’t revealed much of anything. But today it posted a new video (see below) that shows a group of five bikes riding across a desert lakebed. Sadly‚ the low light in the video doesn’t provide enough illumination to reveal many details‚ but there appears to be four different variants of the new Scout. For reference‚ Indian’s current Scout lineup consists of three main models: the classically styled Scout‚ the stubby Scout Bobber‚ and the mini-faired Scout Rogue. In the video‚ the leading trio of bikes have low-mounted bar-end mirrors‚ while the rearmost bikes are differentiated by chrome mirrors perched atop their handlebars. Of the trailing pair‚ the one on the right displays a smallish windshield that suggests some sort of light-duty touring version. The one on the left could be a traditional Scout of some form. Leading the group is a bike with a mini fairing topped with a small windscreen that looks similar to the bike on its left. One or both could be a new version of the Scout Rogue. The bike second from the left has no fairing and could be a model similar to the existing Scout Bobber. At this point‚ we can only speculate based on what we see in the video‚ so we can’t say what could be inside them regarding their engines or chassis modifications. Full details will be released on April 2. Stay tuned! The post Indian Scout Teaser Video Released appeared first on Rider Magazine.

I continue to report on this tragic bridge collapse/crash in Baltimore this morning‚ simply investigating and reporting facts. I’m not drawing any conclusions.  Not yet. I’m simply gathering as much data as I can find and reporting it to you. But independent journalist and someone who I really respect‚ Lara Logan‚ is taking a position. Logan claims that was an “absolutely brilliant strategic attack” on key U.S. critical infrastructure: Multiple intel sources: Baltimore bridge collapse was an “absolutely brilliant strategic attack” on US critical infrastructure – most likely cyber – &; our intel agencies know it. In information warfare terms‚ they just divided the US along the Mason Dixon line exactly like the… — Lara Logan (@laralogan) March 26‚ 2024 FULL TEXT: Multiple intel sources: Baltimore bridge collapse was an “absolutely brilliant strategic attack” on US critical infrastructure – most likely cyber – &; our intel agencies know it. In information warfare terms‚ they just divided the US along the Mason Dixon line exactly like the Civil War. Second busiest strategic roadway in the nation for hazardous material now down for 4-5 years – which is how long they say it will take to recover. Bridge was built specifically to move hazardous material – fuel‚ diesel‚ propane gas‚ nitrogen‚ highly flammable materials‚ chemicals and oversized cargo that cannot fit in the tunnels – that supply chain now crippled. Make no mistake: this was an extraordinary attack in terms of planning‚ timing &; execution. The two critical components on that bridge are the two load-bearing pylons on each end‚ closest to the shore. They are bigger‚ thicker and deeper than anything else. These are the anchor points and they knew that hitting either one one of them would be a fatal wound to the integrity of the bridge. Half a mile of bridge went in the river – likely you will have to build a new one. Also caused so much damage to the structural integrity of the bottom concrete part that you cannot see &; won’t know until they take the wreckage apart. Structural destruction likely absolute. Attack perfectly targeted. “They have figured out how to bring us down. As long as you stay away from the teeth of the US military‚ you can pick the US apart. We are arrogant and ignorant – lethal combination. Obama said they would fundamentally change America and they did. We are in a free-fall ride on a roller coaster right now – no brakes – just picking up speed.” The footage shows the cargo ship never got in the approach lane in the channel. You have to be in the channel before you get into that turn. Location was precise/deliberate: chose a bend in the river where you have to slow down and commit yourself – once you are committed in that area there is not enough room to maneuver. Should have had a harbor pilot to pilot the boat. You are not supposed to traverse any obstacles without the harbor pilot. They chose a full moon so they would have maximum tidal shift – rise and fall. Brisk flow in that river on a normal day &; have had a lot of rain recently so water was already moving along at a good pace. Hit it with enough kinetic energy to knock the load-bearing pylon out from under the highway – which fatally weakens the span and then 50 percent of the bridge fell into the water. All these factors when you look at it – this is how you teach people how to do this type of attack and there are so few people left in the system who know this. We have a Junior varsity team on the field. Tremendous navigational obstruction. Huge logistical nightmare to clean this up. Number of dead is tragic but not the whole measure of the attack. That kind-of bridge constantly under repair – always at night because there is so much traffic and they cannot obstruct that during the day. So concern is for repair guys who were on foot (out of their vehicles) working who may now be in the water – 48 degrees at most at this time of year. When you choke off Baltimore you have cut the main north-south hazardous corridor (I95) in half. Now has to go around the city – or go somewhere else. To move some of that cargo through the tunnel you may be able to get a permit but those are slow to get and require an escort system that is expensive and has to be done at night. For every $100 dollars that goes into the city‚ $12 comes from shipping. Believe this will cripple the city of Baltimore at a time when they do not have the resources to recover. Others agree with Logan and find this too hard to believe as an accident: This was not random. Multiple camera angles already setup. Every news outlet reporting precisely 6 ”missing” in tandem. They watermark their atrocities with the same occult numerology and symbolism every time but most people are too stupid to even notice #baltimorebridge pic.twitter.com/GyNpw5UmmJ — truthinplainsight (@truthplainsight) March 26‚ 2024 One of the strangest parts of the story are the two apparent power outages the cargo ship experienced just moments before the crash. What WAS that? From ABC News: A harbor pilot and assistant onboard the cargo ship reported power issues‚ multiple alarms on the bridge‚ and loss of propulsion prior to the incident‚ according to a Coast Guard memo obtained by ABC News. An unclassified Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency report said the container ship Dali “lost propulsion” as it was leaving port and warned Maryland officials of a possible collision. Perhaps not coincidentally‚ it was two years ago when Lara Logan told Fox News the Biden Admin was prepping the battlefield for an attack on American soil. Was she prophetic? Watch here: More here: MUST SEE: Bridge Crash Video Sped Up To 8x Shows A Very Different Picture Once again‚ I’m not here to make accusations or go looking for “conspiracies”…. I’m simply investigating and reporting what I find. Earlier I had this report: FACT-CHECK: The Captain of the Baltimore Cargo Ship Is Ukrainian? Now I have to show you something else about the horrific crash of the Francis Scott Key bridge in Baltimore.... What exactly happened here? Did the ship just lose power? Well‚ yes it appears to have lost power.  Twice. But did that cause it to float off course? I don't know‚ I'm not a ship captain‚ but I do know that what I see in the video below is a ship that seems "aimed" directly at that bridge pier. Someone sped up the video to 8x speed and it really shows the whole thing in a different light. Take a look: This is a sped up video of the cargo ship that crashed into Scott Key Bridge in Baltimore‚ Maryland today. Was this an attack on American infrastructure? The US Government says there's no evidence of an attack. This angle really tells you everything you need to know. What… pic.twitter.com/6Gntt9pzE3 — Shadow of Ezra (@ShadowofEzra) March 26‚ 2024 Anyone out there with experience with ships like this? Is this a normal kind of turn to make? Does this look like a boat in control or out of control? Intentional or unintentional? This is at 8x speed. Even if the power went out‚ and I don’t know how that affects direction‚ this is a significant sharp turn. Can anyone with experience explain this to me? https://t.co/27Emf7cYxz — eve (@eveforamerica) March 26‚ 2024 I want to be clear once again I am not suggesting anyone on board did anything wrong. Perhaps NO ONE did anything wrong. But the video clearly shows the power flash off twice before the ship suddenly makes a huge turn and barrels head first into that bridge pier. So...was the ship hacked? Cyber event? Backup video here: 8X speed really exaggerates how sharp the Dali turned just before striking the bridge. pic.twitter.com/OBxgCMy7pU — Golden Advice (@RichardStiller4) March 26‚ 2024 I want to hear from anyone who has experience about this. Drop a comment below. What are we watching here? Clip of Boat striking Baltimore Bridge Gantry at 8x speed is truly insane. What do you notice? pic.twitter.com/PcDsgZadC7 — Concerned Citizen (@BGatesIsaPyscho) March 26‚ 2024