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Norton V4CR Prototype Reveals the Brand’s Café Racer Intentions

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Big things are moving in the Norton Motorcycle company. After the company’s purchase by TVS, the Norton V4SV superbike program has been rebooted, with some pretty substantial changes and updates to the platform.

The British brand is set to bring a naked version of its superbike as well, showing a prototype of what is being called the Norton V4CR café racer.

True to the ethos of the café racer genre, the Norton V4CR is very much a superbike without fairings, including clip-ons rather than an upright handlebar.

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Triumph Speed Triple 1200 RR – A Modern Café Racer

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After a fair bit of teasing, the wait is finally over, and we can see the Triumph Speed Triple 1200 RR for what it is – and what it is, is not that surprising.

Early on, we pegged the new “RR” model as a half-fairing, café racer inspired, variant of the Speed Triple RS – and that is exactly how one suscinctly describes the 2022 Triumph Speed Triple 1200 RR.

Built off Triumph’s new Speed Triple platform, the RR shares the same engine, chassis, and components as its RS sibling, but with a more retro-modern aesthetic.

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KTM 790 Cafe Racer Concept by SKK AutoDesign

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When it comes to using platforms for motorcycle design, KTM is definitely the brand at the top of the game – they launched a whole separate brand using KTM bikes as their basis, after all.

Husqvarna digs aside, the Austrians are very skillful at building a variety of motorcycles from a single power plant, the 790cc line being a prime example of this

The KTM 790 Duke is our pick for sport bikes on the market, and the KTM 790 Adventure is head-and-shoulders above anything else in its category when it comes to off-road ADV bikes.

We know from investor documents that KTM has more 790/890 bikes in the pipe, the most likely of which is a 17″ shod SMT version with long-travel suspension. But, what if the company had a neo-café racer in mind?

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Dear Ducati, Can You Please Make A V4 Version of the MH900e?

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Ducati MH900E V4 Cafe Racer

The Ducati MH900e is a special bike in the brand’s history. It is a model that this author lusts over often, with its unique modern take of the old classic aesthetic.

The bike was ahead of its time, in many ways, and we can see now brands imitating in 2020 what Ducati made two decades ago.

The Ducati MH900e might be the best thing that Pierre Terblanche ever penned, and if you can find one in good shape these days, be prepared to spend some coin if you want it in your garage.

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The One Moto Show: Yamaha Virago 750 by WKND

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Another bike that caught our eye at The One Motorcycle Show, this tasty morsel is a 1982 Yamaha Virago 750 (XV 750) made by the hands at WKND. 

Though not a terribly appealing motorcycle in its original form, and part of Yamaha’s first attempts at challenging Harley-Davidson in the cruiser space, the Yamaha XV750 has seen builders make some tasty customs off its old air-cooled v-twin platform – as we can see here.

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MV Agusta Releases a “Cheaper” Version of the Superveloce 800

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Continuing the trend we saw with the MV Agusta Brutale 1000 RR for the 2020 model year, that Italian brand from Varese has a “regular” version of its popular Superveloce 800, for sale next year.

Now while the MV Agusta Superveloce 800 might be the “cheaper” alternative to the $35,000 Serie Oro model, don’t let the name fool you.

The talk of the town at EICMA, all the main elements are still here on the 2020 MV Agusta Superveloce 800 that made it such a drool-worthy creation last year.

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Bold New Graphics Come to the Scrambler Ducati Line for 2019

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Ducati’s new model releases at INTERMOT was reserved, to say the least. Showing us some updates to the Scrambler Ducati lineup, the Italian brand debuted three new graphics for its Café Racer, Desert Sled, and Full Throttle models.

It might only be “bold new graphics” for these 2019 model year bikes, but the fresh liveries are very fetching.

The Full Throttle model is based off the Ducati Scrambler that is being raced in the Super Hooligan series in the United States, while the Café Racer design comes from the Ducati 125GP Desmo raced, with the blue and white livery a nod to racer Bruno Spiaggiari.

As for the white and red Desert Sled, well…that’s just delicious.

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Kawasaki Z900RS Cafe Coming to the USA, After All

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When we first saw the Kawasaki Z900RS Cafe, we had no word that the retro-modern machine was coming to the USA, though it seemed far-fetched that the repurposed Z900 wouldn’t see the shores of North America.

Sure enough, Kawasaki USA just sent us word that the Kawasaki Z900RS Cafe will be coming to the United States in limited numbers, as a 2018 machine.

Sharing the same 948cc inline-four engine as the Kawasaki Z900, the Cafe model takes the venerable streetfighter and adds a retro look to it. The Kawasaki Z900RS Cafe is part of a two-pronged retro approach, with the Kawasaki Z900RS already seeing a strong response from enthusiasts.

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