This week on the channel +3M views this week

FortNine takes motorcycle ride modes back to the chalkboard

Ryan F9 tests a BMW R 1300 GS Adventure to separate throttle response, traction control and braking from the menu labels.

Channel:

FortNine Story of November 1, 2026Trari Newsroom

Why this story? The channel's weekly summary: what went up this week, what is drawing views now, and where the channel stands among similar channels.

Why Motorcycle Ride Modes are Mostly Useless

Things we can learn from the video

Press to jump

0:45"Pro" means programmable, rather than professional, and professional riders also use electronic aids.
1:57The power-mode test changes throttle response without changing the engine's available horsepower.
3:47Measured traction-control slip differs by around one to two percentage points between Rain, Road and Dynamic.
5:13Ryan explains how MotoGP riders use traction control to manage tire wear.
6:07Braking tests compare lever effort and caliper pressure, including the disadvantages Ryan finds with ABS off-road.
8:02Ryan combines the test findings into his preferred programmable Pro configuration.

FortNine sent Ryan F9 around an off-road circuit with a data logger, then put him in front of a chalkboard to explain what the bike's electronic settings actually changed. "Why Motorcycle Ride Modes are Mostly Useless" drew roughly 670,000 views, making it the most-watched of the channel's three uploads this week.

The useful distinction comes early: "Pro" means programmable, not professional. Ryan's power-mode results show different throttle-response curves without changing the available horsepower, while his traction-control tests find only small differences in slip between Rain, Road and Dynamic. Braking gets its own examination, including the drawbacks he finds with ABS off-road. The video is sponsored by Lone Rider, which provided the test motorcycle, and was directed and edited by Edwin El Bainou.

The returning blackboard became a talking point in the comments. Elsewhere, riders offered their own less technical mode selections: an old bike that might run or might not, settings adjusted once and then forgotten, and rain mode's conspicuous failure to keep its rider dry.

The other uploads broadened the itinerary. "The Outboard that Doesn't Cut Up Wildlife - Hunting with a Pump Jet" took the retailer-backed channel onto the water again. But "Why Electric Motorcycles are Probably Cursed," posted October 31, is attracting the most viewing right now. The older "The Bike so Dangerous, BMW Changed its Speed Limit" also remains among the busiest uploads.

Subscribers held steady over the week, as they did at nearby-in-size McLaren. FortNine's daily viewing is currently below half its usual pace, although the week as a whole added nearly three million views. For the ride-mode audience, the enduring attraction was rather simpler than a settings menu: Ryan, a test bike and a board full of explanations.

Published on Trari

Where next?

Also in Motorbikes, off-road and motorsportVideo taking off 22x its usual first dayHakim Danish's last-corner dive falls short of a home podiumMotoGP's Sepang Short draws nearly a million views as Malaysian and Indonesian viewers discuss the podium they hoped to share.Channel: MotoGP · Story of November 2, 2026

A different discovery todayA video worth knowingNileBlue's skull candy hits every taste at once, but no flavorA sweetener thousands of times stronger than sugar, a famously bitter compound and pure capsaicin go into the brass-molded drops, and the verdict surprises eve…Channel: NileBlue · Story of November 2, 2026

What viewers say

That clears it up. I switched to rain mode on my Triumph Street Twin once, but still got wet.
@PeeOrbitalSee it on YouTube
THE BLACKBOARD HAS RETURNED! Thank you <3
@justsickkSee it on YouTube
Ride modes are there so you can fiddle with it for the first 3 hours of ownership "finding the right combinations" then leaving all settings to default for the rest of time
@certifiedpossum1638See it on YouTube

7 more comments

My old XR has 2 ride modes:
-Not running
-Might run
And that’s plenty for me to choose from
@leventevincze1034See it on YouTube
All of the bikes that I have ever ridden only had two ride modes: (1) My brain is woking today, and (2) My brain is not working today
@barryaltman6703See it on YouTube
Earliest I've been for a fortnine vid. My bike doesnt even have ride modes lol
@beehard44See it on YouTube
My bike is 54 years old and I have learned that I guess I don't need ride modes.
@ZaleAndersonSee it on YouTube
Select ride mode: I am riding (tick), I am not riding. Ok done & don't ask again (tick)
@notKlingonSee it on YouTube
All this told me was I want Ryan to come back as a Clippy replacement and make sarcastic commentary on my work.
@jamiemcgrory1964See it on YouTube
I wish Ryan could find a couple friends and do a motorcycle version of the original TOPGEAR. Nothin but love.
@Whipville1963See it on YouTube